Halls of The Tassadar
by blueflamefreak
Summary: After the destruction on Aiur, what little was left of the Protoss faced a huge dilemma: merge what little they had left with their Terran allies, or face their own extinction. ArtanisOC
1. Chapter 1

Hey guys! I've been working on this on and off for a while, and I figured I'd chuck it up. I haven't written anything in a long time, not since my last mammoth project, which you can find on my fictionpress account from my profile. Talk about shameless self-promotion, huh?

**Summary:** After the destruction of Aiur, the Protoss faced a dilemma: face their own extinction, or merge what little they had left with their Terran allies. The Protoss and Terran's paths intersected on many planes, but would Artanis cross the stream that no other Protoss had ever dared to cross?

I don't own most characters. I do own Claudia, Marcus, Kara and Perkins, though.

Please tell me what you think, because it's my first time writing in this fandom. Please be nice, or at least constructively critisising. Thanks, and enjoy!

* * *

Commander Jim Reynor rounded a corner into the main recreation room, eyes scanning over the four people scattered over the room. His eyes fell on a small figure curled up in a chair, green eyes blank and staring at one of the walls. He mentally sighed before making his way over to them, nodding at the others.

He came to a stop before the chair and glanced down at the figure. Long dark hair, almost black greeted him, swirled around a thin, pale, slightly pinched face that most of the crew was sporting. Rations had been spread thinly, and not even the highest officers ate well. They would be landing soon, to restock supplies on their way to fight another Zerg invasion that was threatening yet another world. At least this time, they had the help of the Protoss.

Her large green eyes stared out of her face, glazed over and sporting heavy bags. He shook his head very slightly before clearing his throat.

She jumped, exhausted eyes blinking and searching for imagined threats, a hand automatically bringing up a modified pistol. She stared stupidly at the hand restraining her gun for a moment before she looked up. She blinked a few times before lowering the weapon to her side and looking up into the amused face of Jim Reynor. She immediately uncurled herself, her feet finding the floor clumsily.

"I'm up. I'm up. What needs fixing?" She blearily grounded the palms of her hands into her eyes before standing up. Stumbling, she almost tripped over her own feet before Reynor could steady her.

"Whoa there, Captain. Nothing needs fixing but you. When was the last time you slept more than two hours?" He asked, more than a little concerned. The Captain was one of the best technicians he had ever come across, and was well adapted in leading teams. It would not do to have her as exhausted as she was.

"I... I don't know. There's just so many things that go wrong on a ship this old, and we need new parts, and probably some more sheeting for the decks, because they're running thin, and the new techs need decent training, and the crew keeps coming to me with every little thing, but I can't refuse because that would be rude, and ther-"

"Okay, I get the picture." He chuckled, cutting her off. She gave a faint smile.

"I'll put it out that you're not to be disturbed until we reach orbit. Come on." She stumbled after him as he strode out of the rec room towards personnel quarters.

He paused outside the door to her quarters to look at the haggard captain.

"There'll be a meeting onboard the Protoss carrier ship about trading information. You're my primary tech officer, and I want you there. Meeting's in 20 hours, dropship leaves in 18 hours. You're off duty until then." He ordered. The captain straightened herself up before saluting him.

"Yessir." She muttered, trudging into her quarters. The door hissed shut behind her. Reynor shook his head and grinned. Sleep deprivation, while worrying in his primary tech officer, was still funny as hell to watch.

He made his way to the bridge and stared out at the vast inky blackness of space. Without taking his eyes off the rapidly approaching planet known to them as Aureilies, he called over a junior technician.

"Post a bulletin over the tech commlink that Captain Black will be unavailable for the next twenty hours." He ordered, the low reflection of the window granting him a glance at the terrified expression that flitted across the young techie's face before being smoothed over.

"Yes sir." Was the dutiful reply as he backed away, hand drifting towards his ear to activate the commlink. Jim gave a half sigh before turning and heading towards his own bunk. The captain wasn't the only one who needed to rest before the meeting.

* * *

Reynor leaned next to a wall, a light frown adorning his features. Captain Claudia Black was the only one missing from the small convoy that comprised of the few to join the Protoss carrier. A few soldiers milled around the entrance to the dropship, cracking jokes.

"Hey, Commander! Who're we waiting on?" One called out, absently playing with a lighter.

"Captain Black." Jim replied. He glanced at a soldier on guard duty before beckoning him over.

"Get Captain Black here on the double." He ordered tersely. The Judicator wouldn't be pleased if his party were late.

"No need, Commander, I'm here." The captain replied, cheerfully rounding the corner.

"Claudia, girl, you're de-zombified!" The captain grinned up at the marines, slapping one on the shoulder.

"Marcus, my boy, you'd be surprised what a decent sixteen hour sleep does to a person." She grinned again before nodding to Jim.

"Reynor. Sorry I'm late." He nodded at her, the beginning of a grin playing around his lips.

"Typical woman, always late." He grumbled good-naturedly, the marines around him laughing. Claudia's lips flattened into a thin line.

"I'm sorry sir, but the maintenance of your vulture will take an extra week, I've just remembered. My techies working on it need some additional training in welding. The vultures can get a touch tricky if you don't precisely know what you're doing." She said sweetly before sweeping into the dropship that had been prepped for them. Jim's mouth dropped open as he stared after her, the rest of the soldiers following suit. Marcus gave a low whistle.

"You're in for it now, Commander." He stage whispered before following the techie into the dropship. Another soldier, another Commander, passed by Jim, clapping him on the shoulder.

"Don't want to keep them Protoss waiting for us, ey?" He exclaimed, following the others onto the ship. Jim shook his head in disbelief before following the rest of the crew on board the ship. It would not do to be late. The Judicator wouldn't be as forgiving as Zeratul.

* * *

Through the front window of the dropship, the Protoss carrier ship, clearly the flagship, steadily became larger. The chatter in the cabin was quiet, and the stench of apprehension was prominent.

"Five minutes till arrival." The pilot called out behind him before sending a signal towards the looming ship.

"This is Terran dropship two-oh-eight, requesting docking." He said, keeping one eye warily on the ship through the window. He didn't know what to think about the Protoss; their habits of reading thoughts was alarming, to say the least. He was started out of his thoughts as the screen to his immediate left flashed. After a second of adjustment, a Protoss face stared up at him.

"_Terran dropship two-oh-eight, you are cleared to dock in bay twelve."_ It said expressionlessly, its golden eyes flashing softly. The pilot exhaled lightly in relief as the screen flickered and went blank.

Bringing the ship up to the docking bays, he cut engines as they glided slowly into docking bay twelve. The doors clanged loudly behind them as they shut, and pressure began to fill the bay.

Within minutes, the occupants of the dropship made their way into the hanger, staring around at the alien ship. _It's too neat, _Claudia mused, eyes wandering around the large space._ Even the scraps of metal and parts are stacked neatly. _She made a slight face at the stacked piles. Marcus caught her expression and grinned.

"What, it's not good enough because it's not covered in oil and grease?" He asked laughingly. She smirked at him.

"Nah, it's just too neat. Nobody ever died from a little organised mess." She replied easily, eyes trailing over the stacks of parts. _But I really want to go through them. Meetings are_ so_ tedious, _she thought grumpily. _Too frickin' neat! It's unnatural!_

_Organised mess never helps in an emergency, Captain Black_ a wry voice... voice? The opinion had not been said out loud. She had caught a visual flash of rummaging in a pile in an utter panic to go with the voice.

Whirling around, she came face-to-chest with what was obviously a Protoss. She would recognise those double knees anywhere. She slowly looked up, having to crane her head to see the figure's face.

"But if it's _organised_ mess, you already know where everything is." She reasoned, simultaneously stepping back and attempting to send an image of her workshop.

_And if others require access to your... workshop?_ Damnit, the Protoss was amused. She caught it in the timbre of his voice, and the flashing of his eyes, for he was undoubtedly male.

"Then they should ask for whatever they need while I'm in there." She replied shortly. A snicker from some of the Terrans, and amusement rolling off the other Protoss in waves brought her out of her ire.

"Since you know who I am, perhaps you should introduce yourself." She said, raising an eyebrow at him.

_Very well. I am Praetor Artanis._ Her mouth dropped open, and her face involuntarily flushed. _No, damnit, do _not_ do that, not he-_ She cut herself off mid-thought and slammed a mental wall up in place.

"I apologise for my rudeness, Praetor Artanis." She said shortly, noticing for the first time the other Protoss in the bay. She recognised Zeratul with a jolt, although the one and only other time she had seen him was at a distance through a pair of optics a ghost had asked her to repair. Several pairs of eyes appraised her, not all human, before turning towards the entrance to the hanger, the only conversation between Jim Reynor and Zeratul, and the Terrans amongst themselves. Claudia found herself walking next to Artanis, but did not speak.

_You hide your thoughts well for a Terran,_ he offered, glancing down at her. The side of her mouth twitched involuntarily into a grimace. A mental flash of a laboratory, a Terran ghost helmet sitting in front of her as she tweaked a few points on the helmet floated into his mind before another mental wall slammed down. The image only lasted a split second. _Keep out of my head,_ she snapped mentally, drawing a few curious glowing golden eyes.

Mental wall firmly in place, she lifted her chin and continued to march alongside the Praetor, completely ignoring him. A small snicker from behind her caused her to tense her shoulders.

"Shut _up_ Marcus, do you _want_ to have your weapons downgraded?" She hissed backwards. The snickering stopped abruptly.

_The Terrans appear to be intimidated by their female,_ Zeratul thought to Artanis, who laughed in response.

_A ruthless nature under a soft exterior,_ he commented privately to the Dark Templar. A mental sigh racked through Zeratul.

_Watch her,_ the old warrior warned as they came up to another set of doors. They hissed open, entering into a large conference hall. There were already some Protoss milling around; it was odd to see the High Templar and the Dark Templar sitting together. They all stood as the party entered the room.

_En taro Adun, Reynor. You're late._ A High Templar had risen out of one of the groups and headed over towards the Terrans.

"We're not late, Judicator, we just stopped to admire the scenery." Jim replied cheerfully, eyes darting over to the captain, who merely smirked in response.

_I see,_ the Judicator said uncertainly.

_We must start the meeting,_ Zeratul's mental voice echoed the hall. Obediently, they all gathered, and the meeting officially began.

* * *

Yeah, tell me what you think. Cookies for reviewers.

~le freak


	2. The proposition

Here's chapter two! Thank you to my lovely reviewers who asked me to keep going with this. It's always wonderful to hear, guys. See chapter one for the disclaimer.

* * *

Claudia inwardly sighed as one of the Admirals got into yet another debate with Praetor Fenix about the strategic points over the onslaught of the zerg. _Gods, can we just get to the tech stuff so I can leave? _Claudia thought, desperately trying not to fall asleep sitting upright. Artanis, from across the room, gave her an amused look.

_Perhaps I should steer the conversation in the direction you wish it to go?_ He asked, gold eyes flashing. She inclined her head very slightly.

"But if we could capture at least the plateau, then we'd have a better advantage. The zerg could not _possibly_ climb the high cliffs with our tanks raining their fire on them." Admiral Morrison huffed, glaring at the Praetor in the dragoon shell.

_Perhaps we should look at what our technology could do for us. If we were able to modify your tanks, they would be able to further our advancement,_ Artanis suggested, eyes travelling the room. Several heads turned towards the young Praetor who had not spoken for a while. The Admiral had turned red, eyes flashing.

"Morrison, he's got a point. Imagine our tanks combined with their shielding." Raynor pointed out.

"Captain, anything you could do?" He continued, ignoring the Admiral's spluttering. Claudia sat up straighter.

"I'd have to look at the technology, if our friends are willing to share it. I'm pretty sure that a combination of both Protoss and Terran technology would benefit everyone except the zerg. I've been mulling over this idea for a while, and this seems to be the best place to bring up my suggestion." She took a breath and looked around the room, a serious expression on her face.

"I propose that if it's feasible, an entire new line of technology that incorporates only the best technology of both Protoss and Terran design. I'm talking weapons, ships, housing, medical equipment, better alloys for armour, that kind of stuff." There was dead silence for a full minute.

_Preposterous!_ The Judicator thundered, slamming a massive fist down on his first knee. Claudia stared at him, expression unreadable.

"How is it preposterous? How can we not do this, when all of our lives are in danger? If we truly want to be rid of our common enemy, and to remain true allies, then why not? Is it your pride that holds you back from accepting what could be a better technological age, or is it your views on what is 'pure'?" She said quietly, staring the Protoss in the eye. The Judicator's eyes flashed angrily.

_Do not ask on matters that you have no understanding!_

"What, I'm too young to be able to acknowledge a point of view different from my own?" She asked sarcastically, crossing her arms. The Judicator stood, almost quivering with rage.

_Enough, Judicator! Calm yourself! _Zeratul growled, on his feet and in front of the Judicator in an instant.

_Your prejudices are that of your Conclave,_ a Dark Templar said quietly. The Judicator snarled incoherently before stalking out of the hall. Zeratul turned to the captain.

_You should not have provoked him so,_ he reproved. She nodded, eyes wide.

"I didn't realise that he would get that upset." She said quietly.

_It would be beneficial to merge our technologies, however. In light our near extinction, we must do what we can to survive. _Every head spun towards Artanis. The Protoss stared grimly at the wall, even when the room buzzed with agitated psi energy.

_It is something we need to think over, Praetor Artanis,_ Zeratul warned. Artanis nodded regally.

_Of course, Prelate Zeratul. We should retire to consider the option._ Artanis stood and swept a glance around the room. Claudia stared at him as if the Protoss warrior were a difficulty to be sorted out and categorised. She watched him as he strode out of the room, the rest of the Protoss on his heels.

Marcus pulled a face as he caught her expression, and leant closer to Raynor, sighing as he went.

"I've seen her use that face on guys before. This is not going to end well." He muttered. Raynor gave him a subtle confused glance before the marine jerked his head in the captain's direction. Jim's face fell as he caught _the look_ on his captain's face.

"Oh, hell no." He muttered, mind flashing back to Kerrigan, when she was still human. She had given him that exact same look about a week after they had met.

At that moment, Zeratul strode back into the room, followed by his usual two Dark Templar.

_We will resume our discussions in twenty hours,_ he advised, waiting for the Terrans to stand.

_I will escort you back to your ship._ Raynor nodded his thanks and hustled his people into moving. They made their way out of the discussion hall and into the corridors. There was silence for a few minutes before Zeratul glanced at Raynor by his side.

_Your Captain Black_ _has some interesting thoughts. They can be potentially dangerous to her,_ he privately said to his friend. Reynor frowned.

"What's she thinking?" He muttered, barely loud enough to be heard.

_She is very interested in Artanis. He also seems to be very interested in your captain._ Zeratul turned to regard the much shorter human at his side, just in time to see him slouch his shoulders forward.

"I was afraid of that." He muttered, scowling. They reached docking bay 12 quickly, and allowed the rest of the group to go through to the dropship. Once they were out of earshot, Raynor turned to Zeratul, brow furrowed.

"What are we gonna do about this?" He asked, running a hand through tousled hair. The ancient warrior restrained the urge to copy him, and finally shook his head.

_I do not know. _Raynor cracked a grin.

"Well, we're discussing ways to further along our alliance." He joked, faltering when Zeratul shot him a disdainful look.

_The Protoss are very tolerant of you, Terran, but we are nowhere near _that_ tolerant,_ the Dark Templar snapped before heaving a sigh.

_Do nothing. They will take it no further than curiosity_, he advised before turning and disappearing into the corridors. Raynor sighed and ran a hand through his hair again.

"Yeah, thanks." He muttered as he trudged back to the dropship.

"Hey, Raynor! I knew you and Zeratul were close, but not _that_ close!" One of the marines jibbed. Raynor shot him a derisive glance before strapping himself in. Behind the dropship, the hangar doors opened, and they were suddenly pulling away from the Protoss carrier.

"Okay, the next meeting's in twenty hours, we're meeting in the mission room in eighteen." Jim leant forward, throwing a significant glance at Morrison.

"A word when we get back to the ship, Morrison. You too, Claudia." Both officers nodded curtly before going back to their prior conversations.

"You're in trouble now, Claudia!" Marcus crowed, laughing as she swatted him on the shoulder.

"At least I wasn't the one caught with the medic in a _storage_ room, for goodness sake. Didn't you have enough decency to at least go back to your bunk?" She teased back, and was met with a light flush.

"And she never came back, either. I still haven't seen her." He replied mournfully. The entire dropship roared into laughter.

"That's because you exposed her arse to three different Commanders, including her CO, you idiot." Claudia smirked at the large marine, who stared at her.

"I did? Oh, shit." The dropship erupted into laughter once more before it dropped into its docking bay.

* * *

Claudia waited outside of Raynor's office, mind going over the meeting on the Protoss' transport. She had felt Artanis's eyes on her the whole time, save the two times he stood up to speak. It was disconcerting to have his eyes on her for almost the entire time they were there.

She was startled out of her thoughts as the door hissed open, Admiral Morrison storming out. She watched him go for a moment before entering the office.

"It's not in your best interests to be gathering enemies at the moment." Claudia commented, settling herself down in the chair in front of the empty desk.

"Heard anything in particular?" Jim's tired voice floated out at her from a corner of the room.

"Nothing too interesting, just the usual here and there," she replied, curling her feet under her. They sat in companiable silence for a while, staring off at the walls.

"I need you to come up with a sort of program that could cover both our technology and Protoss technology. An outline would be appreciated." He finally said, turning to look at the dark-haired captain. She gave a slight smile before standing up.

"If that's all?" She asked quietly, eyeing the Commander. He looked distinctly uncomfortable for a few moments before his face cleared.

"Yeah. Don't forget to be on time for the next meeting." He teased her, leaning back in his chair with a grin spread across his lips. Claudia rolled her eyes at him, wondering what was troubling him so much that he openly conveyed it.

"I'm sure I can make it." She turned to go, then hesitated. Turning back, she saw an eyebrow go up.

"You do know that if there's something that's bothering you, you can talk to me, right?" She said haltingly, relaxing slightly as he dipped his head at her.

"You'd end up finding out anyway through some sort of microphone around here." He mused, glancing around the messy office. Claudia grinned.

"Come on Jim, I'm not _that_ bad. You occasionally leave your computer on, which records everything back to my office. Makes amusing viewing, occasionally." She winked at him, making his mouth drop open.

"You watch what I'm doing on my computer?" He asked, mouth suddenly dry. She laughed at him, walking backwards to lean on the wall.

"Only if you pick up links that come from certain relay stations. Mengsk still wants to find you, Jim. He's not above watching certain stations that you used to use." She raised her head and yawned at the ceiling.

"I've got plans to consider, my underlings are probably scanning all frequencies for my voice, so I'm gonna go sort through their messes. I'm sure you have some considering to be doing with this alliance. See you in 18 hours." She yawned again and walked out of the office without waiting for a reply.

* * *

Outside the office, Claudia activated her radio and chose a random frequency.

"So, boys, what do you desperately need my help on this time?" She asked in amusement. There was a short silence before all hell broke loose.

"_Oh, thank god-"_

"_Captain, we need-"_

"_The engine room-"_

"_I have the engine room under control, _Perkins_."_ At that, Claudia laughed.

"Alright guys, one at a time. In order of biggest inevitable disasters to something that can wait until tomorrow, please." She wandered down the halls towards the engine room, occasionally smiling or nodding at the people she passed. _Ah, my boys, you need some growing up,_ she thought fondly of her self-described underlings.

* * *

Yay for chapter two! Cookies for reviewers, as usual.

(17/5/09) I haven't actually finished the story yet, so I'm kinda flying by the seat of my pants. I'm not sure when chapter three will be up, but it has been finished. Chapter four, on the other hand... I'll get on it. But yeah, just be aware that it'll be sporadic updating, especially since my end of semester exams are coming up real fast. But mid-june should see some faster updating. Yay for winter break, huh?

~le freak


	3. And the answer is

* * *

Hey all, sorry this took so long to post up. I've just finished with exams, though, and I've got a whole two months free, so I'm going to hope like hell that I don't get writer's block. Afterall, why would I want to deprive you lovely people of this strange, strange story? Ahem. Don't answer that.

Thank you **_nemo_** for pointing out that this is slightly AU, because Fenix and Artanis never actually meet. I'm in complete denial over Fenix's death, so he stays. Also, thanks for the constructive criticism, **_GrimMoody_**, I'll certainly try to keep putting scenery in amongst the dialogue. See chapter One for the disclaimer.

Enjoy!

* * *

Artanis paced the length of his room aboard the flagship carrier. The Terran interested him greatly. He, and all the other Protoss in the hall could hear everything the Terrans were thinking, except the captain.

The few flashes she had let slip through her formidable mental wall were puzzling, to say the least. They had showed what felt like the lab to a training facility, where she had created technology for war. There had been an optics lens over her right eye, and her face had been frozen into a grim expression. The vision of her face had lasted only a split second, and it was wrong, somehow. Backwards. As if she were staring into a mirror.

The only Terrans that visibly wore them were either ghosts or those that worked in the science vessels. She had worked with ghosts before, of that he was certain. To what extent, he did not know, but he did want to find out.

He turned to pace the length of his room again, but froze when he saw Zeratul standing in his doorway.

_I wish to talk to you,_ he said simply as she door silently slid shut. Artanis nodded his respect once before gesturing to a chair. The older Protoss didn't move.

_Captain Black has an interesting proposition,_ he observed, watching as Artanis' eyes glow slightly stronger.

_She does. I believe it is our one chance at reducing our few technological weaknesses,_ the Praetor replied simply. Zeratul nodded slowly, allowing his mind to flash back over what he had gleaned from both the captain's and Artanis' mind. The younger Protoss' face pinched into a frown.

_You had no right to scan either the Captain or myself as you did._ Artanis paced a few steps and turned back to the ancient Prelate, eyes flashing in irritation.

_Your thoughts are of no consequence currently. I have spoken to the Judicator, and he will consent to a probationary exercise of a ship dedicated to the fusion of our technologies. I am asking you to lead the Protoss half of the team. Are you willing to do so?_ Zeratul asked, watching as the other Protoss jerked towards him in surprise.

_The rest of the council has agreed to merge technologies?_ He ran through the last bit of the previous meeting in his mind, projecting it to Zeratul, who in return played back a session with other important Protoss.

Artanis watched as they argued back and forth in his mind, privately surprised as to the support for the merge.

_Was the Judicator the only one truly opposed to the merge? _He wondered, questioningly glancing at the Dark Templar.

_A few of the Conclave who survived the purge on Auir provided token objections. Our grave situation has the possibility to strengthen us to perhaps better than what we were._ Zeratul gave a mental sigh and ran his long fingers through his psionic nerve endings.

_You've picked that up from the Terrans, Prelate,_ Artanis commented, amused. Zeratul shot the younger Protoss a vaguely irritated glance.

_You would be willing to suggest your ship, Praetor?_ He asked, deliberately ignoring the comparison. Artanis surveyed the Dark Templar for a few moments, completely serious before casting his eyes down in respect.

_It would be an honour to provide anything for our return to our former glory,_ he declared, lifting flashing eyes to meet Zeratul's. The Dark Templar slowly nodded.

_It shall be done,_ he replied simply before turning and sweeping out of the room. The Praetor watched him go before dropping into his chair. He ran a large hand over his face in an effort to fully comprehend to what he had just agreed.

The decision meant, for the Terrans would be stupid not to see the advantages, that he would be seeing more of his enigma, for it would be his ship they would be on. Of course, the highest ranking officer would have to occupy the better quarters; one of the two near his own rooms. His face pinched into a protoss smile. Yes, he would definitely be seeing the captain, his enigma, very soon.

* * *

Claudia swore loudly as the transmitter she was holding squealed loudly at her before blowing a puff of smoke into the air. She angrily threw it back down on her cluttered desk and glared at it, continuing to mutter obscenities under her breath. Still swearing colourfully, she picked up her own transmitter and patched herself into the medic's private channel.

"Hey girls, is Kara free?" She asked, still glaring at the device. There was a few seconds of silence before a cheerful voice came over the receiver.

"_Hey Claudia. What's up?" _

"My stress levels. I need your tea. My office, double time, please."

"_I... alright. Give me a few minutes to win back at least some of my credits."_

"Jeez Kara. Okay. Just get your gambling arse down here sometime soon. Girls, make sure she does." Laughter came over the radio.

"_She's on her way."_ One of the Valkyrie pilots spoke up, her heavy accent definitely amused.

"_I'm not a child. Seriously."_

"You act like it occasionally. Hurry up. Over and out." Claudia clicked off her radio before pulling a few sheets of paper towards her. The meeting with the Protoss was in 4 hours, and she was becoming stressed out about the multitude of idea research that Jim had asked her to do.

There were random bits of scraps of paper on which she had drawn vague ideas of fusion designs lying around her office. She snorted and eyed the complete mess of metal scraps, half finished projects that her underlings had been working on, and of course the huge 'to do' pile which she had been working on before the transmitter blew up on her. _It's not really an office, more like a scrap yard with some vaguely interesting stuff and outdated tech. _She thought disinterestedly.

She sighed loudly before picking up the broken transmitter and opening it, scowling at the mess of blackened wires and microchips.

"You know, if you keep that up when we go into orbit, your face'll stay like that." A voice said casually from the doorway.

"It's fucked. Nothing's even salvageable from it." Claudia snapped back before throwing it into a metal bin across the room in disgust. She looked towards the doorway, ready to chew out the person who had interrupted her.

Kara smirked and raised an eyebrow at her from where she was leaning in the doorway, dangling two mugs and a small cloth bag in the air. Claudia exhaled loudly and gestured to the only other seat in the office, which was in front of her crowded desk. The medic laughed and entered the room, the door hissing shut quietly behind her.

"I assume your boiler still works mighty fine?" She asked, setting down the mugs and cloth bag before slumping into the seat.

"Sure does, doll." Claudia stood and stretched, popping her back before picking up the tea. She walked over to a bench, pulling a few parts off a machine, which came to life when she flicked a switch. Kara laughed.

"Hidden in plain sight, huh? I haven't seen one of those for... must be close to ten years now." Claudia turned and grinned at her.

"It's amazing what kinds of parts turn up in just about everything. All I needed was a way to power it, and I found that relatively easily." She replied, leaning against the bench. There was silence as the water boiled, and was poured into an ancient cracked teapot with the tea leaves. Closing the lid, she brought it back to the desk, which she quickly cleared with a swipe of an arm.

"So what's wrong?" Kara asked, leaning back in her chair. Claudia sighed.

"Jim's got me writing up plans for merging technology. It's frustrating because I've only got half of the puzzle and I'm not sure I'll ever get the other half." She complained, pouring the tea. The medic looked puzzled as she stared at her friend.

"Do I get more information? Because, seriously, even dying soldiers rant more than you do." She pulled her tea towards her, eyes on the tech officer.

"Not at the moment. Something may be happening, it may not be. I can't actually talk about it, but I'm annoyed as all hell." Claudia pushed her hands through her hair in frustration before taking a sip of tea.

"Drink up, it'll calm you down, plus it'll help you focus." Kara advised, pulling her feet up on the desk.

"What the hell do you put in this tea? You'd make millions off the recipe alone!" The captain exclaimed, waving her mug around. Kara grinned into her mug.

"I'm not giving you the ingredients, doll. I do nicely with this stuff on the black market."

"Extortionist. You're a pure extortionist."

"Of course I am. What else did you take me for?"

"Oh, I don't know, a medic?" They both laughed as the door hissed open.

"Claudia, my gauss rifle ready ye-" Marcus stopped in the middle of the doorway, staring at Kara, who glared back.

"Sorry doll, but our meeting just got cut short. Am I counting you in for poker night?" The medic stood, abruptly business-like, ignoring the speechless soldier in the doorway. Claudia stood.

"I'll have to get back to you. It's all dependant on some meetings and projects and the like. Say hi to the girls for me." Kara grinned at her friend before pulling her into a hug.

"Talk, tea or tech, my dear. Keep in touch." With that, the medic turned and marched resolutely towards the door.

"Kara..." Marcus tried, blocking the woman from exiting the room.

"Move your ass soldier. That's an order." She barked, watching as he jumped out of the way purely from reflex. She disappeared out the door and into one of the adjourning corridors. Marcus stared as the door shut, then turned back to Claudia.

"She really hates me, doesn't she?" He asked, despondent. Claudia nodded sympathetically, holding out a mug of tea.

"It is your fault that she didn't get that promotion, and she damn well deserved it." She scolded lightly, waving a hand for him to sit down. He plopped into the seat, staring at the mug. There was a companiable silence between the two before the soldier glanced around.

"My gauss rifle ready yet?" He asked, spying it lying underneath a bench.

"Yeah. I finished it after we got back." Another silence, longer than the last.

"Do you reckon my idea's gonna be accepted?" Claudia wondered, draining the last bit of tea from her mug.

"No clue, girl. It would sure help, though."

"Mmm." Marcus glanced at the clock before doing a double take.

"Your clock on time?"

"Of course it is, what do you take me for?"

"We're gonna be late to the meeting. Mission room, double time, girl. Make sure you've got what you need." They both hustled towards the mission room, Claudia running to keep up with Marcus's long strides.

They rounded the last corner and quietly dashed into the mission room right behind some of the other advisors and leaders of the Raiders.

"Well, at least we're on time, huh?" Claudia panted, acknowledging Jim with a jerk of the chin. He waved back before waving everyone to sit down.

"Okay, we have two hours before we're in more meetings with the Protoss. Updates, people." He turned his head to stare at Claudia.

"You first." He ordered, sitting back down in his chair. Claudia slowly stood up, opening the file she had manage to scrap together of half-imagined designs. _Here goes nothing,_ she thought as she began to speak.

* * *

Cookies for reviewers, as per usual. Click that button! You know you want to. Chapter four shall be up as soon as I finish writing up chapter five, so it might take a few days. Hell, it might take a week. Who knows?

~le freak


	4. Moving in

Hey all! I said I'd post chapter four the minute I finished typing up chapter five, which I finished literally about five minutes ago. 

**_nemo_**, in response to your review, the other Protoss were only digging in their heels because they didn't really want to change how they do stuff. There was no real reason, they just like being stubborn. Also, you would have noticed that Zeratul had said "currently", so there may be issues or reprimands later. He was just trying to show that he had leverage over Artanis, should he refuse to offer his ship for fusing technologies.

Okay, I'll shut up so you can read the new chapter. Enjoy!

* * *

Claudia sighed as she walked with the other Terrans into the meeting hall on the Protoss flagship. Her eyes wandered the room, and almost immediately found both Artanis and Zeratul watching her. Unnerved, she gave an approximation of a smile and forced her eyes to keep wandering.

The vast hall was decked out in pale yellow and blue, like the rest of the Protoss décor. It gave the hall a solemn feel while simultaneously radiating a sense of refined power, old beyond countless millennia.

The meeting settled down with the usual formalities, albeit quickly, as neither Zeratul nor Jim Raynor were much for words. The ancient Dark Templar remained standing and stared over the gathering from his impressive height, gaining the centre of attention.

_We have considered your option of merging our technologies. We have decided that it would be for the betterment of both our species, if the zerg is to be eradicated,_ He said slowly, watching as the weight of his works sunk into the Terrans, the captain especially. Her jaw actually dropped as she stared at the ancient Prelate before morphing into a triumphant grin.

The Terrans were shocked again as Praetor Artanis stood, eyes flashing around the room.

_I offer my ship for the research in merging our technologies,_ he declared, eyes sweeping the hall for opposition, of which there was none. Jim slowly stood, catching their eyes, expressing his gratitude through both his eyes and thoughts.

"We're honoured to accept your offer, Artanis." He said formally, dropping his head in an informal bow, completely at odds with his words. The Praetor caught, out of the corner of his eye, an excited captain mouth to the marine next to her, _score!_ It took almost his entire willpower not to express his amusement.

The congregation turned to the captain simultaneously. She stared around at them, eyes wide. _Oh shit, please don't tell me they saw that,_ she thought desperately.

"Captain Black, you had some ideas of what we could combine?" Jim asked, cocking an eyebrow at her expression. Her face smoothed over as she stood up and let her eyes trail around the room before quickly opening her file.

"Sure. I've been thinking of a few things which hopefully can combine, because the only Protoss tech I've been working with have been dead or obsolete." She said, purposely avoiding looking at the Protoss.

"I've been thinking that maybe we could combine the science vessel functions into observers, or at least make the science vessels permanently invisible. We could look at shielding for heavy defence units, such as the tanks or goliaths, or incorporate tank fire with the rapid fire of the photon cannons." She took a breath, flipping a few scraps of paper over.

_Is any of this possible?_ Fenix's metallic voice asked curiously.

"I'm not sure. I'd need to gain a much better understanding of your technology, so this is more of a wish-list rather than a definite of anything achievable." She replied, frowning at her file. Morrison snorted.

"You don't know if it'll be compatible. If you don't know that, what _do_ you know, _Captain_?" He sneered at her. Claudia slowly put down the file.

"I know that if I check out the Protoss technology, I'll be able to give you a definitive answer, Admiral. I also know that you're the only one making waves in the peaceful waters we've managed to create." She replied calmly, watching as the Admiral's face slowly turned red.

"That's insubordination!" He yelled, completely ignoring their audience. Majority of the Protoss seemed curious, but the rest were clearly irritated. The Terrans were fighting to keep their chuckles under control.

"Insubordination, or the truth?"

"I'll demote you if you keep going!"

"The only one able to demote me would be Raynor, and seeing how the Terran Protoss alliance is balancing on a few very important points, this being one of them, he wouldn't do that. The Raiders need my expertise to pull this off." She crossed her arms challengingly and stared at him, large green eyes on fire.

"That's enough, you two. Sit down." Raynor ordered, giving an apologetic shrug to the Protoss.

"Praetor Artanis, is your ship able to cater for humans?" One of the Commanders spoke up, her white armour giving her away as a medic. Artanis paused, considering.

_I will make it so,_ he replied, sitting down.

"How long do you estimate the necessary changes will take?" Claudia spoke up, staring at the Praetor.

_I am not sure. Perhaps if you were able to provide me with what you require, the time for modification would be shortened. _He stared back at her, eyes flashing softly as she nodded and quickly looked down, scribbling something down a piece of paper, fighting the light flush that spread across her cheeks.

Inwardly, Raynor groaned, glancing across at Zeratul, who was stonily watching the tech officer.

"I'll send it over as soon as I can compile a list."

_It would be much appreciated._

_

* * *

  
_

Claudia stared out of the drop-ship's window towards the modified Protoss-Terran cruiser. It had been a gruelling month to weld everything they needed into the ship, and top it with up everything that the fifteen humans needed to survive on the modified ship.

Turning back to look over the team, she had to stifle a giggle as she saw Kara sitting on the extreme opposite side to where Marcus was, determinedly talking with one of the other medics or staring out the window.

She snickered before heading back into the cockpit and slid into the pilot's seat, hailing the cruiser.

"Protoss-Terran cruiser One, this is Terran dropship two-oh-eight, requesting docking." She leaned back in her seat to wait for a response.

"_Terran dropship two-oh-eight, you are cleared for docking." _A familiar psionic voice came over the radio. Claudia grinned, leaning forward, finger jamming onto a button.

"Protoss-Terran cruiser One, you really need to rename yourself. Something different to the fleets would be great, because your ship isn't exactly routine." She glanced up as someone behind her gave a soft snort. Kara shook her head at the techie in amusement before staring out the front window at the cruiser.

"Well, isn't that pretty?" She muttered, smacking on the top of Claudia's pilot chair twice before heading back to her seat.

"_Terran dropship two-oh-eight, thank you for your concern, but perhaps we should be having this discussion when you've finished docking."_ The voice over the speakers was dryly amused. Claudia laughed, throwing her head back to stare at the grey ceiling as she wiped tears from her eyes.

"Acknowledged, Protoss-Terran cruiser One. See you in five." She chuckled, shaking her head. In all honesty, Claudia was worried about the name of the ship. It would give their enemies advance knowledge that they had merged, and also produce counteractive measures to the increase in firepower of their weapons. The ship, from the outside, still looked like a Protoss cruiser, but on the inside, it was a whole different story.

The layout had been changed, the engines and navigation systems had been changed; all merged to form a deadly efficient cruiser battleship. Only the best and most loyal were aboard the ship.

Claudia brought the dropship around, docking into the newly-fitted holding bay, which was a small indent into the otherwise smooth ship that would accommodate a Terran dropship. From there, it was only the inside airlock that stopped them from walking straight into the cruiser.

"Docked and loaded, Cruiser One. We're ready to come aboard." She grinned, locking down the dropship to the cruiser and opening the back hatch. A few seconds later, the inner airlock hissed open, and they were presented with Artanis standing with Zeratul.

_Welcome aboard, young Terrans,_ Zeratul said simply, his low psionic voice vibrating around their heads. Claudia stepped forward, gently pushing her way through the others.

"We're honoured to have this experience, Prelate Zeratul, Praetor Artanis. We hope for this to be the beginning of a wonderful partnership between our species." She gave a small bow to the two high-ranking Protoss before falling silent.

_Medics, if you would follow me to our healing centre._ It was a female Protoss who spoke, her soft psionic voice giving away her gender, although she wore the same robes as every other Protoss healer. The three medics silently extracted themselves from the group, Kara leading the others confidently down the hall and around the corner.

Claudia turned to the two cooks they had brought with them.

"Could you two get some lunch happening? Just a little something, doesn't have to be extravagant." They nodded, wide-eyed, as they made their way quickly down the hall the medics had taken. Claudia turned to Marcus.

"Get your boys settled in. We might need some stuff shifted around later, so keep your radio on." She instructed, glancing at her five techies. Her mouth quirked into a frown.

"My radio's always on, you know that, Miss 'I _have_ to have this huge object that'll take four marines in power-suits to shift at 4am'." Marcus teased. Claudia swatted at his armour.

"That 'huge object that takes four marines in power-suits to shift' was very important. Anyway, can you get my techies settled in, too? I've got a few things to discuss with Zeratul and Artanis regarding naming the ship." She stared up at the marine, who nodded.

"Cheers. See you in a few, Marcus." She turned and walked over to the Protoss, nodding her greeting.

_Captain Black, you have something to discuss?_ Artanis tilted his head as he stared down at her petite frame.

"Yeah, the ship's current name gives away too much information. It shows that we've merged together, and are most likely to have shared technology, which gives the enemy advance knowledge that could potentially destroy us." She replied, wandering slowly down the hall towards the control deck. The two Protoss followed her, glancing at each other. The captain was right.

_Your reasoning is sound. What did you wish to rename this ship?_ Artanis's eyes flashed softly as he regarded the human.

"Well, we should take into account both methods of naming ships. We name ours after heroes or generals, or even fallen planets. We have a ship called the _Mar Sara_, which was one of the first planets to be infested and destroyed." She said thoughtfully, turning back to the Protoss.

"How do you name your ships?" She asked curiously, green eyes flicking back and forth between them.

_We name our ships after High Templar, or the Commander of the ship. However, I believe that your naming methods are more practical. I propose the name 'The Tassadar' for this vessel._ Artanis turned to Zeratul.

_It shall be done,_ The Prelate replied simply, before turning around and swiftly walking in the opposite direction. Claudia blinked after him before turning back to Artanis.

"Sounds good. I never actually met Tassadar, but I've heard quite a bit about him from Jim Raynor." She gave him a small smile.

"Alright, I'm going to go stake my claim on some rooms. Shall I meet you on the bridge soon?" She asked, tilting her head up at him.

_I will escort you to your quarters,_ Artanis firmly overruled the captain, and began walking down yet another hallway. Claudia grinned at him.

"Wow, I get a private escort to my own quarters. I feel privileged." She teased, as they walked down an unfamiliar corridor. Her eyebrows furrowed at the lack of traffic, and green eyes sought out the Praetor questioningly, only to find him standing next to a door.

_Your quarters, Captain Black,_ He answered her unspoken question, and she slammed her mental wall up, which had grown lax over the past few hours.

"These aren't my quarters, Praetor. I'm with the rest of the team." She replied, growing wary.

_These quarters are larger, and you will receive more rest that if you share your quarters with the other Terrans, who will be coming and going constantly. My personal quarters are also down the hall from here. _He gave her an air of being unconcerned, but she could feel the tension swirling underneath his speech. She sighed.

"Alright, Artanis. Thank you for your concern." She smiled at him before ducking into her new quarters, door hissing shut behind her. The room was huge. Her eyes widened as she saw the gigantic bed, decked out in the usual blue and pale yellow. Her eyes travelled around the room as she took in the sparse furniture and doorway, presumably leading into a washroom of some sorts.

She wandered over to the bed and jumped up on it, almost moaning as she felt how comfortable it was. _Well, I think I'm really going to have to thank Artanis again. Personally. _She flopped down on the bed and stared at the blue ceiling. _I officially love this bed, _She thought in a daze, grinning like an idiot.

* * *

Artanis is keeping a rather close eye on Claudia, isn't he? I didn't realise that I made him so obsessive. Again, praise is fantastic, constructive critisism is always nice, any and all flames will be used to cook my marshmellows. Cookies to my gorgeous reviewers. Keep 'em coming, guys, and I just might be motivated to write faster.

Chapter five will be out when I've finished writing up chapter six, my munchkins.

~le freak


	5. What the?

Sorry for the huge delay, guys! It's just that chapter 6 was a huge bitch to write, and I had a million and one things going on. It has been so utterly insane, I've barely had time to sleep. But! I've finally finished chapter six, so here's chapter five! I'd like to thank, firstly, my three reviewers, **_nemo_**, **_magyarova_** and **_She Who Dances Under The Moon_**. I'd also like to thank **_magyarova_** again for getting me off my arse to post this, so send all warm thank-you letters that way. I'd also like to thank all my silent followers who've either just read up to this point, or who've put me on alert. It won't hurt to leave a small review, guys. Seriously.

Anyway, enough rambling. Enjoy!

* * *

After she had finished composing herself, Claudia made her way out of her new quarters towards the Terran kitchens. Her stomach was growling at her, and she really needed to talk to Kara about the recent events that had occurred.

Swinging around the final corner, she was greeted with the sight of her team laughing over something one of the marines had apparently said. Leaning up against the doorway and crossing her arms, Claudia's lips curled up into a smile as she continued to observe them, the only splash of colour within the uniformly grey room.

Finally, one of her technicians caught a glimpse of her out of the corner of his eye and swivelled his head around to grin at her.

"Hey, Captain! What happened, did you get lost?" He called out, waving her over. Claudia returned the grin, pushing herself off the doorframe to walk into the room.

"Nah, I just took the scenic route, Perkins." She replied, leaning over the table to grab a sandwich.

"Scenic? I didn't know that blue and yellow hallways were scenic." One of the marines joked, waving around an arm.

"It does when you've spent the past three years staring at grey walls." She grinned as the group erupted into laughter again.

"Too true, though." Kara mused, once the laughter had died down. There were several sighs before Claudia stood up again.

"We may have been stuck on various ships for long amounts of time, but look where we are now, guys. We're the first to be dealing with this type of technology that'll really help people, and maybe even get rid of the Zerg. Completely. So stop being so down, because what we do here will change _everything_." By the end of her impromptu little speech, she had fourteen pairs of eyes on her. She smiled at them.

"Let's rock the galaxy, guys." She finished, hands on hips. She smiled again when the entire room cheered.

"When you're done with food, get to your stations. Marines, pick a techie and stick to them like glue for now." She instructed, moving back to give everyone room as they all rose and made their way to the door, Marcus appearing by her side.

"So, where are we headed?" He asked, nodding at one of his marines who glanced at them with a vaguely disappointed look before following Perkins.

"Bridge. I want to know what's happening with that science vessel that we're bringing over." She replied, making her way to the door.

"After you." He gestured extravagantly towards the door, which made her roll her eyes at him.

They made their way to the bridge, occasionally greeting the odd Protoss who stopped them to talk for a few minutes. Finally, they slipped into the control room. Artanis turned from his place at the window to acknowledge the two Terrans.

"We were just wanting to know what's happening to that science vessel that's supposed to be flying over about... now-ish." Both Artanis and Marcus stared at her.

"Since when is 'now-ish' a word?" The marine asked the dark-haired captain. She shrugged, struggling against the flush that was rising in her cheeks. Artanis's face pinched into a Protoss smile.

_You are welcome to use the transmitter to hail your ship,_ the Praetor offered, waving a clawed hand towards another Protoss. The captain smiled up at him.

"Thanks. I'd also like to borrow one of your Observers, if that's not too much trouble." She tilted her head at him until he nodded, eyes flashing in amusement.

_It shall be done,_ he replied, turning to glance at one of his technicians, who immediately made their way out of the room. He paused at the door, turning back to the Terrans.

_It will await you in docking bay four,_ he advised before disappearing out the door. Claudia nodded absently before making her way over to the main transmitter. She stared over the shoulder of the Protoss manning the station, down at the controls. She blinked twice before sighing.

The panel was completely different to what the Terran ships had used. It looked like a touch-screen, and with a language she didn't recognise, but could guess that it was Protoss.

"Ah, excuse me?" She asked the technician tentatively. He turned around and stared at her expressionlessly.

"Could you please patch me through to the Terran ship the _Mar Sara_?" She stepped to the side to watch the panel properly.

_Certainly._ The reply was crisp and mostly disinterested. He turned back to the panel, pressing down gently on a few places, and on the writing once. He turned back to her.

_You may speak into your radio,_ he told her, before turning back to watch the panel. _Okay,_ she thought, nonplussed. She activated her radio anyway.

"Uh, _Mar Sara_, this is _The Tassadar_, please come in." She said. There was a few moments of silence.

"Tassadar_, this is the _Mar Sara,_ responding to your hail, over."_ She heard, a smile blossoming over her features.

"_Mar Sara,_ I was wondering on the status of the science vessel that was going to be transported here, over." She wandered back to Marcus and Artanis, both silently watching her.

"_Science vessel thirty-four is already on its way, _Tassadar._ It can be reached on channel 35. Is that all? Over."_

"Thanks, _Mar Sara_, that's it. Say hi to the bridge for me. Over and out." Claudia pulled her radio off her ear and fiddled with it before pulling it back on.

"Science vessel thirty-four, this is _The Tassadar, _please come in." She said, rolling her eyes at Marcus, who grinned in response.

"Tassadar,_ this is science vessel thirty-four, responding to your hail, over."_ The voice was crisp, no-nonsense, robotic. Unconsciously, Claudia stood up straighter, shoulders forced back.

"Science vessel thirty-four, I was after your position and timing as to arrival aboard _The Tassadar_, over." She said, hands clasped behind her back. Artanis tilted his head at her, taking in her stance, which was clearly the result of the voice on the other side of the radio.

"_Estimated arrival time at _The Tassadar_ is T minus five minutes, over."_ The captain nodded curtly.

"Understood, science vessel thirty-four. You will be directed to docking bay four, over." She replied formally, eyes staring unseeingly ahead. Artanis reached his mind out to hers, but found a cold mental block firmly in place.

"_Instructions received. Over and out." _Claudia clicked off her radio, and was surprised to find herself tensed up. Granted, she had never liked working with the science vessel technicians, simply because she had been one herself. _It was a very long time ago, and I'm free from that, now,_ she told herself firmly, forcibly relaxing her shoulders.

_What was a long time ago?_ Artanis's psionic voice said privately to her. She caught herself before she could flinch. The ghosts did that, too.

_So my assessment that you have worked with psychic humans is correct? _He asked, eyes flashing as he looked down at her. She scowled at him.

"It's none of your business, Praetor. Keep out of my head." She snapped, before turning heel and stalked out of the room. Marcus shook his head as he stared after her.

"Man, if you want to keep your sanity, don't probe her mind. The last time a ghost tried that, he not only ended up with both kneecaps shattered, he also had strong urges to sing children's songs for a month." The marine advised the other male. Artanis nodded absently.

_I shall bear that in mind,_ the Protoss replied, turning back to the window. He watched as a science vessel made its way towards an opening hatch, and slowly disappeared inside. The hatch closed again.

Artanis narrowed his eyes. He would figure out exactly what the captain had been through, categorise it, and only then would he leave her be. His enigma would finally be solved, and then he could get back to everyday life. _My life for Aiur,_ he mused, as the cruiser turned away from the planet beneath them and entered a warp gate with the rest of the Protoss fleet.

* * *

Claudia nodded stiffly at the science officer, who stared down at her expressionlessly from the edge of the ramp leading up to the large science vessel, which had been neatly parked below a set of chains that were able to lift the vessel.

"The mess hall is several corridors over. A marine will escort you there, and then to your quarters for the remainder of your stay on this vessel." Her chin had jerked up when she spoke, a nervous habit that had not been conditioned out of her whilst she had worked for the ghost program in the Confederacy days.

The science officer inclined his head ever-so-slightly as a marine made his way up to them, lightly touching the officer on the shoulder. The only reaction was a slight raise of an eyebrow, the other obscured by the optics lens he wore.

"Uh, sir, the mess is this way." The marine said uncertainly. The science officer turned on his heel to face the exit to the docking bay and followed the marine, who was clearly uneasy with the robotic officer.

As they exited the bay, Claudia let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. _Well shit,_ she thought, staring after the two. Taking a deep breath, she turned and looked at the science vessel.

Like every other, it was uniformly dark grey, with red markings. _One we've acquired recently, then,_ she mused, slowly walking around the vessel. The Dominion held red markings, and had dispatched updated science vessels to all outposts. Clearly Raynor held the joint project very highly for him to send over one of the newly acquired vessels.

"Alright," She said to nobody in particular.

"Let's get cracking. Fuel cells first." With that, she picked up one of the portable kits and tied it around her waist before she dropped to the floor and wriggled under the science vessel, Perkins staring after her in tired amusement.

"She's going to kill herself one of these days. She's crazy. I have a crazy boss." He said to himself in wonder, slowly shaking his head.

"What was that, Perkins!?" Claudia yelled from under the vessel, voice muffled from the tiny space around her.

"Nothing!" He called back hurriedly, glancing around the dock, hoping nobody else had heard him. It would be his head if they did.

* * *

I never really noticed how much Claudia dislikes authority, until **_nemo_** pointed it out to me. Hmm. Ideas for a backstory is forming, although I doubt I'll actually write it. Something like that would prove to be very long, and I don't have _that_ much time on my hands. Although if someone wants to take that as a challenge, you're welcome to write Claudia's backstory. Just please _tell_ me first, okay?

Cookies for reviewers, as per usual.

~le freak


	6. In which Claudia is whumped

Hey all, sorry for taking so long to update. My life has been really hectic lately, and I'm really sick right now because of that. Damn you, winter. Uh... yeah. This chapter was an absolute bitch to write, because it came out souding really awkward at first, and I'm still not sure if it's really as good as it can be. If anyone of you out there is a beta reader, I'd love to hear from you and what you think I could have done better. Actually, anyone who has an idea how to make it better, please pass it along to me.

Uh... beware the whumpage. I do love whumping my characters, so beware. You have been warned. See chapter one for the disclaimer.

* * *

Claudia swore loudly as her screwdriver mashed painfully against her fingers as she struggled to pull out the panel leading to the external fuel cells. She didn't have the courage to try inside the science vessel for internal mechanisms, even though she knew exactly where they were. She involuntarily shivered. _It was a long time ago,_ she reminded herself for the umpteenth time.

Grunting, she was able to finally pull the panel down towards her, away from the vessel and its precious equipment. She hefted the heavy panel up past her face to set it on the floor before glancing up and assessing the cells.

Her face blossomed into a smile as she eyed the four cells. No doubt they were new, and would last at the very least another few years before being depleted. She wriggled further under the science vessel, so that she was not directly under the cells, and began to release the first. A small screen started flashing at her. She stared at it for a few moments before swearing loudly again, kicking the hull of the science vessel above her. She activated her radio.

"Perkins! Get your arse to the mess and ask our _dear_ science officer just what the _fuck_ the password for releasing the fuel cells are!" She yelled into her radio. There was silence for a few moments.

"_Okay captain. I'll be back soon." _He replied skittishly. The dark-haired techie sighed and gently clunked her head on the floor, glaring at the flashing screen. Her foot started throbbing belatedly, causing her to glare at it as best as she could in the confined space. _Fuck it's dark in here,_ she thought idly, impatiently waiting for Perkins to radio her with the code.

"_C-captain! I've got the code. Try typing in... five-four-two-nine-six-eight."_Perkins panted over the radio, clearly from running over to the mess hall. Claudia grimaced as she imagined the science officer staring at her subordinate, eyebrow raised as he coolly demanded to know why the blustering tech officer needed to know the codes.

"Thanks Perkins. Get yourself some water, and grab either a marine or a Protoss and ask for some help. These fuel cells are the good ones, ergo, heavy." She replied, typing in the numbers as they were said.

"_Okay, but I need to get to a bathroom soon."_ The male techie sounded uncomfortable. Claudia laughed.

"Get to a toilet, Perkins. I can manage with the cells for now." She laughed again, gently unhooking the cells from their connections. Her eyes widened as she felt the weight of it, and almost dropped it. She stifled a cry of pain as it connected with her mid-section, vaguely hearing Perkins enthusiastically assuring her that he'd be back soon.

She managed to roll it onto the floor, and promptly checked the connections. She sighed in relief as she found that they were alright. She exhaled loudly, a hand creeping up to her stomach.

"_Shit_." She muttered, taking a deep breath. Slowly, she began to push the first cell towards the opening where she had crawled in. The cells were not as big as her, nor as wide, but she still had some difficulty getting it out in the open. Pausing, she took a few deep breaths before finally pushing it out from under the science vessel.

Glancing around, she noted that nobody was in the bay with her save the still functional observer, which was beeping at her. She scowled at it.

"Get somebody to help down here!" She barked at it, before wriggling back under the vessel to grab another of the fuel cells.

She made the journey between the cells and the edge of the ship another three times. She paused, panting at the edge of the vessel, before remembering the panel. It would not do to have that exposed. The connections could be compromised, and then she'd have a very irate commander on her back. She groaned and kicked the vessel again, not noticing when the panel her foot connected with was released, and hung by a corner.

She wriggled back under, muttering under her breath as she screwed the panel back in. She sighed, and made her way to the edge of the vessel. A certain panel caught her eye, and she frowned, moving towards it.

Her calloused hands reached up with the power wrench and tried to open the panel, to no avail. She growled, and tried again, finally trying to pry the panel away with her fingers. She huffed, glaring at the piece of metal. _Ah well, I guess I can deal with it later,_ she thought, ears pricking up as she heard a footstep. _Must be Perkins._

"Okay, pull me out." She panted. Large clawed hands encircled her legs easily, and tugged. She gave an involuntary gasp, and her legs tensed up. The hands faltered, and pulled away.

_Are you injured?_ A familiar psionic voice asked her, the foremost tenor concern.

"No, I... I thought Perkins was there, that's all." She replied, closing her eyes briefly.

_I encountered him as he made his way to a restroom,_ Artanis explained, sending her a flash of Perkins dashing down a hallway. Claudia laughed, and sent back several similar images where she had seen him do the same thing. Deep psionic chuckles came from the Protoss warrior as the images washed over him.

"Could you please pull me out?" She asked, still grinning.

_Certainly,_ came the reply. Large clawed hands once again encircled her legs, and tugged. She slid out a few feet before she was jerked to a stop.

"_Stop!_" She cried out, in both voice and mind. Waves of worry came from the Protoss warrior.

"I'm snagged on something." She said in a strained voice. Her fingers walked up her side, and gingerly touched the small panel of jagged metal digging into her. Her fingers trembled as she dipped them in a slowly growing pool of a thick liquid. She could smell the copper, and her stomach recoiled.

"I'm bleeding." She said shakily, hands moving up the metal towards the vessel.

_I will call for assistance,_ he assured her, hands never leaving her calves. The Praetor shook back his psi nerve endings as he stared up at the ceiling of the hanger and mentally howled for a medic.

* * *

Everyone on the ship started as the call came, and stared at each other, bewildered. Kara stared at the ceiling for a moment, before swinging her feet off her desk, hand automatically going towards her med-kit and tying it around her waist. She activated her commlink, voice completely calm.

"I'm headed to Bay 4, over and out." She said quickly, before heading towards her friend in a dead sprint. People flattened against the walls as she hurtled down the halls towards the bays. She skidded around a corner, long hair flying as dark eyes scanned the bay. She instantly zeroed in on the science vessel, Artanis crouched beside a pair of legs, radiating anxiety.

A noise caught her attention as she made her way over to the agitated Praetor, and she looked up and ducked reflexively. Perkins and another Protoss technician were finishing hooking up the vessel to a suspension contraption.

"Okay, we're good." Perkins called out, a split-second before the Protoss jumped from the top of the science vessel to the floor with a loud thud, just as Kara reached the clearly distressed Praetor. The other technician, suddenly next to a wall panel, poked it, and the mechanism whirred to life. The science vessel was lifted marginally, and a pained cry came from under it, the legs shifting upwards at the knees.

"Claudia!" Kara cried, dropping to her knees next to Artanis.

"Kara?" The techie's pained voice asked hopefully.

"I'm here, doll. Can you lift your arms enough to put pressure on the wound?" She asked anxiously, opening her med-kit with practiced ease.

Claudia grunted as she touched the piece of metal that was still digging into her.

"I've got half a broken panel in me, Kara. I don't think I can pull it out." She called out, biting down on her lip in an effort not to cry out as she tried to shift the panel.

"If they can crank this hunk of shit off you, then I can give you the good drugs and fix you up nice and pretty." Kara told the techie, who cracked a shaky smile at the vessel above her. The vessel lifted again another few inches, which Kara deemed good enough. She dove under the science vessel towards her friend, Artanis' worried eyes on her the entire way as she wriggled under.

The medic stifled a gasp as she took in the sight of the jagged metal sticking out of the captain's stomach.

"You love getting into tight spaces, don't you, you idiot?" She asked conversationally, hands diving into her med-kit. She pulled out a large pair of tweezers, and slowly extracted one part of the jagged metal. Claudia's face went white in the torchlight. Kara's mouth flattened into a grim line, hand and tweezers steady as she delicately pulled a larger piece out. Claudia cried out in pain, shaking hands flying to meet Kara's.

"Almost done, doll, just hang on there." The medic said soothingly. The vessel above them groaned as it shifted upwards another metre. The techie screamed as the remnants of the panel still attached to the vessel were yanked out of her. Kara closed her eyes briefly, mentally swearing as loudly as possible at the mechanism and the two technicians operating it.

"Okay, let's get you to medical, alright?" The brunette gave a tight smile before starting to move backwards.

"Just stay with me, doll, I don't want you closing your eyes on me." She warned, as Claudia's eyes began to drift shut. _But I'm so tired,_ she mentally protested, unable to voice it out loud.

_You must do what your friend says,_ a familiar psionic voice told her, underlying worry and nervousness weaving into the tone. Kara finally pulled the techie out from under the vessel, and the atmosphere tightened as the two Protoss and Perkins saw the extent of the damage. Kara pulled out a finer pair of tweezers, and quickly pulled a sliver of the metal from where it had just caught her eye. Claudia let out a short agonising scream in return, smacking her head painfully on the floor, the room flinching at the sound.

_What are you doing, medic?_ Artanis thundered, fustratedly running clawed hands through psi nerve endings.

"My _job_, Praetor." Kara replied through clenched teeth. The med-kit was once again snapped open as Claudia's eyes began to flutter shut, the world growing dark around her. Kara yelled at her, but the sound was muted, and her last sight was Perkins and the two Protoss watching on in a mingle of fear, fascinated horror and worry. Her eyes finally closed, and she drifted into nothingness.

* * *

Chicken noodle soup for reviewers. Seriously, would it kill you to leave even a really short review?

~le freak


	7. Powerstruggles

Hey all, and welcome to chapter seven! I'd like to thank my beautiful reviewers, **_nemo_** and **_Serfius_** for their encouragement!

I unfortunately have some slightly bad news for everyone; My uni starts up next Monday, and it's a pretty hectic schedule, so I won't have as much time for writing. However! I do love writing this story, so I will try my best to keep going, although the rate of posting will slow drastically, methinks. Well, I still have a week, so we'll see how I go.

Also! There is a line in this chapter that does not belong to me. Cookies to anyone who spots it and tells me what it is! Hint: It's from Firefly.

See Chapter One for the disclaimer, and I hope you enjoy this installment!

* * *

"_Commander, there's a vidcall waiting for you from _The Tassadar._"_ The voice had made Jim Raynor jump, coming from seemingly nowhere in his paper-strewn office. He closed his eyes and ran a hand across his face.

"About damn time." He muttered, throwing down a pen, and activating the screen in front of him. He blinked as Marcus swam into view, rather than his captain.

"_Commander, reporting in as scheduled."_ The marine said, half-heartedly lifting an arm to wave.

"What's happened to Captain Black?" Jim asked, leaning forward in his chair. He didn't like the way the marine grimaced at him.

"_She's in med-bay, sir. The science vessel had a loose panel which she somehow managed to get caught on. She's lost a lot of blood, but she'll be alright in a few days."_ Marcus replied, visibly shifting his weight from foot to foot.

"Who else was with her?" Jim's face was entirely too calm to be believable.

"_Perkins and a Protoss, sir. Apparently Perkins went for a short break a few minutes before Artanis stepped in."_ Jim nodded, absorbing the information.

"Right. I want you to schedule a roster for your marines to stand guard while the techs are working. I do _not_ want something like this to happen again, y'hear?" He half-glared at the image of Marcus as he gave a sharp nod.

"_Yes sir, it'll get done. Any other instructions?"_ The marine asked, shifting uncomfortably.

"Nah. Just keep me posted." Marcus disappeared from the screen as Jim flicked a switch before he slumped back into his chair. _**Great**__ news for the first transmission,_ he thought sarcastically. He ran a hand over his face once more, feeling restless. He sighed, abruptly shoving his chair back and standing up. The only way to cure his restlessness was a few rounds in the gym.

Sighing, he stalked out of his office, vaguely wondering if there would be any marines he could challenge to a spar at that point of the sleep cycle.

* * *

Marcus scowled at the screen in front of him as it flickered off, angrily muttering under his breath. _Could be worse, though. Could've only brought two marines, instead of the four I have,_ he reasoned with himself. His long strides took him towards the med-bay, almost without his permission. It had been several hours ago that Kara had finished the surgery, and had assured the worried crew that their captain would be alright.

He hesitated as he saw the uniformly grey door of the med-bay, painfully aware of the curious look a nearby Protoss healer was giving him. Without giving himself another chance to think, he firmly walked through the door, mind faintly registering the faint _hiss_ of the door as it closed behind him.

His eyes travelled around the relatively large room, taking in the familiar grey walls. He inwardly grimaced. Too many times had he woken to them, hearing the sound of too few of his men around him. Those who generally survived a Zerg attack usually woke to a med-bay, pain, strained faces and grey walls.

Quickly clearing his mind of the dark thoughts, He spied two doors and a Protoss sitting behind a desk, eyeing him speculatively. He cleared his throat in vague embarrassment.

"Can you direct me t-"

_Captain Black is in Recovery. The second door, then the third on the right is the one you want. _The Protoss cut him off, tapping a claw on the pad in front of him.

"Thank you." Marcus replied, headed towards the second door. It opened in near-silence as he approached. Taking a deep breath, he stepped through and headed down the dark, silent hallway, wishing for his sidearm.

Laughter was the first sound he had heard, after his own footsteps and heartbeat. Marcus unconsciously relaxed as a medic, most likely Kara, ran out into the hallway, chased by another medic. They were laughing as they streaked into the room across the hall, and all he could do was stare, absolutely dumbfounded.

Belatedly, he followed them, hoping that the doorway was third on the right. He stopped outside the door, which opened automatically for him. He could immediately see Claudia, so he moved further into the room. Marcus quirked an eyebrow at the techie, who was awake and already arguing.

"Kara, I feel fine, really. You said yourself that you've seen and done surgery on worse." Claudia tried to reason, but was met with her friend's stony-faced stare.

"Doll, you're not getting out of that bed, and that's final." Her tone brooked no room for argument.

"I hear the words 'that's final' come out of your mouth ever again, it truly will be. I'm your superior officer, now let me go." The techie glared back at her friend. Marcus decided to make a move before any blood was shed.

"Arn't you supposed to be resting?" He asked casually, watching Claudia's face brighten, and Kara's sour. _Damn,_ he thought, vaguely irritated.

"I'm fine, Marcus. I just need to keep moving. I get too jittery, sitting in one place for too long." With that, she slid out of the bed with a wobble, but grabbed onto the side table with the IV drip that was standing next to her bed.

"I said _no_, Claudia! I outrank you in medical circumstances, and you need to stay in bed!" Kara roared, face slowly turning red. The marine sighed, and went to stand next to the captain.

"You need to do what she says, you know." He told her, before he picked her up and dropped her back onto the hospital bed. _She's so light, does she not eat?_ He thought in concern. Claudia glared at him.

"Yes, _mother_." She replied scathingly. Marcus winced.

"Low blow, captain, but if you need to be resting post-op, then you're resting post-op." He said evenly, pulling the covers around her. Claudia rolled her eyes.

"Doll, you almost _died_." Kara's hands strayed to her hips, eyes watching her patient like a hawk.

"I've almost died plenty of times. Do you know how nasty electric shocks can be? Because, I mean, they hurt like a _bitch_." Claudia replied, waving her arms around. Marcus noted how thin they were, and frowned. Kara grimaced at her.

"You're off-duty for the next few days. That's my medical opinion, and there's nothing you can do to change it." The medic told her. She whirled around to face the other medic who had been lurking in the corner, trying not to snicker at the techie's stubbornness.

"You! Inform the other technicians and the Protoss that Captain Black is not to work for the next few days." Kara ordered. The medic nodded and ran out of the room, ducking through the crack of the door, as it was too slow to open. Kara turned to Marcus.

"You! Inform the marines of my order. If any of them catch her working, they have permission to bring her back here to be sedated." Marcus grinned at her,

"Yes ma'am."

"Traitor!" Claudia called from her position on the bed. Kara marched up to her.

"Don't interrupt me in the middle of my power-trip!" She barked, before pulling out a needle.

"Kara, okay, I'll stay put, no need to sedate me." Claudia chuckled nervously, one eye on the needle her friend was brandishing. The medic calmed down, and took a long look at Claudia's bare legs that were hanging over the side of the bed.

"If I don't, you'll escape again. And you're not fully healed, so for now, you'll have to be sedated." With that, the brunette slipped the needle into the techie's thin arm with a practiced hand.

"But... Kara!" Claudia wailed, eyes fluttering shut.

"You'll thank me later, doll." The medic sighed as she watched the captain slip into unconsciousness. Silence reigned for a full minute between them, the only noises coming from the old-fashioned heart-rate monitor, and the soft breathing of the three Terrans.

"She's very light." Marcus commented, voice unusually soft.

"Yeah, I know." Kara replied, glancing across at the marine.

"Is she eating properly?" He asked, glancing across the space between them. His eyes widened slightly when he found her staring at him. She flushed and looked away.

"I don't know. You know how she gets when she's working on something, and that's pretty much all the time." Kara stared at the metallic grey floor, wishing that the marine would leave, so that she could stop thinking about him.

"She stops eating when she gets excited, too, and this project is probably the most exciting thing she's done." Marcus replied, invading her thoughts once again. She growled inaudibly, resisting the urge to hit her head against a wall.

"Yeah. Look, Artanis called down before, he wants to know how she is. I'm working in the other room, so could you go to the bridge and tell him?" She asked, glancing sideways at him through her eyelashes. If she knew men, then the marine would automatically agree.

Marcus stared at her for a long moment. His eyes skimmed over her tall frame, the white medic uniform, not much different from his own.

"Okay. I'll be visiting later, before the sleep cycle starts. See you later." He turned and walked out of the room, leaving the medic staring after him.

Kara sighed, and slumped into the chair next to her best friend's side.

"Why the hell did you have to introduce us?" She muttered, eyes unfocused as she stared at the grey wall opposite.

* * *

Marcus came to a stop beside Artanis, staring out into space.

"We headed to another battle?" The marine asked, voice carefully neutral. Around them, other Protoss worked quietly, two Terrans poking around different consoles on opposite sides of the room.

_It is likely,_ the Praetor replied, glancing down at the human. They stood in silence for another few minutes.

_How is Captain Black?_ Artanis finally asked, glowing eyes watching the soldier.

"She was up and arguing before. Kara had to sedate her so she wouldn't escape and go back to work." Marcus replied, a hint of a smile working its way onto his face. A small wave of amusement rolled off the Protoss warrior.

_She must be very dedicated to her work,_ he commented. Marcus snorted.

"You have no idea." He muttered. Artanis turned to look at him, as the last conversation the marine had with Kara wafted over to the young Praetor, who furrowed his brow.

_She cares more for her projects than for her health?_ He asked, disbelievingly. The marine nodded grimly.

"I'll probably need your help on this one, if you're up for it." A slight pause.

_What is it that I need to do?_ Artanis asked, glowing eyes fixed on the human's face. Marcus gave a wry grin, mind going over what had worked to get her to eat, and what had not. There was a few minutes silence as the Praetor absorbed the information.

_It shall be done._

_

* * *

_Cookies to reviewers and anyone who spotted the quote!

Reviews are like crack, so please help this poor addict by giving reviews!

~le freak


	8. Chapter 8

Finally! I've been trying to upload this chapter for the past three days, and it _finally_ lets me! YAY!!! Thank you to all my lovely reviewers: _**nemo**_, _**Serfius, DragonLuvrBETA, magyarova**_ and **_Guardian54_**. Just a small note to _**Guardian54**_**, **I'm taking a small amount of creative licence here and shifting the size of the science vessel to about a third of the size. Also... I'm taking a bit more creative licence in this chapter, but it'll all work out in the end, I swear.

See chapter one for the disclaimer, please.

I am so sorry to have kept you all waiting for this chapter, but here it is, and I shall not keep you from it any longer!

* * *

Artanis stood in the doorway of Recovery, staring impassively at the tiny woman in the hospital bed. She was fast asleep, one hand curled lightly around a corner of the blanket covering her, the other tucked under her chin. Her mouth was slightly open, and, he noticed with increasing amusement, she was drooling on her pillow.

She shifted twice, and muttered something that he failed to hear, but could clearly see through her unprotected mind. He inwardly frowned as her mind recreated a skirmish that she had no doubt been involved in.

_She ran, boots slapping on the metal grill of the floor through a corridor. Dodge sharp left, raise firearm, shoot at looming shadow. Belatedly, her optics adjusted to the dark, turning on night-mode. She gasped as it staggered to the left, angry hisses coming from it. Hydralisk. It approached in the narrow corridor, gaining speed. She lifted the gun again and fired where the optics told her to, backlash jerking the gun up, bullet contacting with the soft spot next to an eye. The hydralisk crashed to the ground, and was still. _

_Her breath was coming in short and sharp, chest heaving from her struggle not to hyperventilate. Her eyes, she could feel, were wide, and her hands were clammy and trembled. She quickly made her way past the downed Zerg, terrified eyes darting from shadow to shadow. _

_A hand, fumbling in a pocket. Two clips left. If she were lucky, it would be enough to get out in the open, signal a dropship. The blinking on the commlink at her side reassured her that the main channels were still operating. _

_A feral hiss came from her left, and she let out an undignified yelp as she turned towards it, blindly aiming and squeezing the trigger. The zergling rushed her, bullets seeming to make no difference. It leapt at her, and she screamed. _

_She vaguely registered the sound of another gun firing, coming from right behind her. The zergling crashed to the ground, and she spun around. _

"_Marcus!" She squeaked in relief, attaching herself to his arm. _

"_Claudia, I need that arm. C'mon, I'll get you to my men. We found the other techs. Only Marty survived." At that, the terrified techie shivered. Marty was the science vessel's cat. _

_The marine twisted around, gauss rifle at the ready. Trained eyes dismissed shadows as he led the frantic race to the entrance. A scrambling sound, from behind her. She turned, bringing the gun up, less than a metre from a zergling. Its blood-red eyes regarded her hungrily, drool dripping from its razor-sharp teeth as it bared them at her. She screamed again and shot at it, following the optics' cool suggestion that she shoot it through the throat. Two taps of the trigger, and it was down and out for the count. _

"_Nice shot. C'mon, not too far now." The marine pulled her along, and she stumbled after him, eyes wide. She could feel the shock of the attack overtaking her senses. She vaguely registered seeing a hint of daylight before a zergling came flying out of nowhere towards her. _

Claudia gasped and flew up from her position, arms shielding her face from her dream zergling. She peeked through her painfully thin arms, only to find grey walls staring back at her. Sighing, she collapsed back onto the bed.

"I hate science vessels." She declared to the uniformly grey ceiling.

_I do not doubt your claim,_ a familiar Protoss voice replied, amused. The techie froze, green eyes widening. Slowly, she turned to peek at the door from her position. Artanis stood there radiating amusement as she squeaked in embarrassment, cheeks flushing red.

"H-How long have you been standing there?" She stammered out her demand, flushing a brighter red as the Praetor gave her a Protoss smile.

_Ever since you began your nightmare in the science vessel. Do you have them regularly?_ He asked, crossing to her, and making himself comfortable in a large chair next to her bedside. She quickly sat up, her head jerking up in surprise as she found large clawed hands adjusting her pillows.

Her breath caught, as she discovered how close his face was to her. He stilled, not entirely sure what had made him move towards her. He watched, eyes glowing softly, as a tiny pale hand slowly came up from its position on the bed, headed towards his face.

Claudia bit her lip, eyes searching his for permission as she lightly touched the side of his face, next to his left eye. His grey skin was smooth to the touch, and slightly colder than her hands.

She slowly stroked down the side of his face, green eyes closing. She exhaled slowly, dropping her hand from his face. Artanis watched her, eyes burning in a mixture of curiosity, surprise and a strange hunger he had never felt before as she slowly leaned back into the pillows. Her eyes opened, and her guilty thoughts assaulted him. He stared blankly at her, mechanically sorting through her thoughts, still dazed.

_You do not need to apologise, Captain. It was not... unpleasant,_ he told her, tone soft and gentle. She flushed, lowering her eyes.

"I still should not have touched you, and for that I'm sorry." She near-whispered, staring at the blanket, hands fiddling with its folds.

_Do you not touch others when you require comfort?_ He asked mildly, golden eyes focused unwaveringly on her face. She chanced a glance at him, and found herself transfixed.

"Yeah, we humans usually do. But something like what I did is something friends don't usually do." She muttered, unable to pull away from his gaze. He tilted his head at her curiously.

_What do you mean by that?_ He asked. Undeniably, he found the Terrans to be a strange race, but the tiny female in front of him had to be the strangest of the lot. She flushed bright red, finally able to break from his gaze, and stared at the wall instead.

* * *

At that moment, the door hissed open, Kara striding into the room. The medic stopped short, eyebrows rising as she took in the sight of Artanis hovering over the captain, who was obstinately staring at a wall, blushing furiously.

"Are you disturbing my patient, Praetor?" She asked briskly, noting how Claudia's eyes turned towards her, the relief on her face plain to see.

_I was not. I shall take my leave now. May your recovery be swift, Captain,_ he said, taking three strides to reach the door. He paused, and turned back to the two females.

_En taro Tassadar,_ he added, before swiftly disappearing around the corner. The second the door closed, Kara whipped back to face Claudia, face inches from the startled techie's.

"_Spill._" She ordered, settling cross-legged in the chair Artanis had used. Claudia groaned, covering her face with her hands.

"He came in, saw my nightmare, asked me about it, andthenItouchedhisface." She flushed again, making Kara raise her eyebrow again.

"Slower, doll, I didn't quite catch that last bit." She commented, deceptively calm. The techie sighed, staring at the white blanket.

"I touched his face." She muttered, catching Kara's jaw dropping out of the corner of her eye.

"You touched his face? That's like... ultimate intimacy for a Protoss!" The medic gaped at her friend, who drew her shoulders into herself.

"Are you serious? How the hell did you know that?" Large green eyes stared desperately at the brunette, who looked worried.

"I lightly pinched Mandy on the cheek, because she's so adorable when she figures something out, and the Protoss healer we were working with asked me if we were together. Then she told me how, in their culture, if someone touches someone else on the face, it pretty much means that either you're very intimate with each other, or you plan to be." She explained, watching the blood drain out of Claudia's face.

"Oh, shit." The techie muttered, smacking herself in the head. Kara sighed sympathetically.

"Well, on the bright side, we've been trying to get closer to the Protoss. Maybe this'll help." The medic suggested optimistically, before patting the other on the arm. Claudia shot her a derisive glance.

"I think that it would probably be better without any romantic entanglements, don't you?" She muttered, stomach growling loudly. Her arms snaked around her middle, and she flushed guiltily.

"If you were hungry, you should have told me." The medic scolded, standing up.

"I'll have some soup sent from the kitchens, and you'll eat it all, otherwise I'll force-feed you." She declared, stretching. Her back popped satisfyingly, and she turned to go.

"Make yourself comfortable, doll. There is most likely a pot of soup coming your way." Kara flashed a smile over her shoulder, before disappearing from the room.

* * *

Claudia stared at the door where the brunette had gone for a few minutes, before slumping back against her pillows and groaned. _Why the hell do I have to get myself into these ridiculous situations!_ She thought, slightly angry at herself. Granted, she did like Artanis, and thought he was interesting, but anything other than a professional relationship between them could not be possible.

_Although, he didn't make it seem that he hated it... quite the opposite, actually. Was he trying to get me to touch him again? His skin is so smooth, too. _At that, the techie smacked herself on the forehead.

"I will _not_ head down that way. My thoughts are purely for the technology, sleep and food." She said to herself sternly.

"Anything else comes secondary." She added, crossing her arms, just for good measure.

The door hissed open, and Marcus entered, carrying a pot of what smelled like chicken noodle soup, a tray, bowl and spoon.

"Surprise." He drawled, setting the pot down on a side table. Claudia sighed in resignation as he dropped the tray onto her lap, and set the bowl and spoon on top.

"Did you have to? That pot is huge." She complained, watching the marine ladle soup into the bowl.

"You're a rake, girl. You need to get some fat on those bones, otherwise you'll break one day." He told her, watching as she quickly devoured the bowl.

"Guess you're hungry." He grinned at her, and set about ladling another bowl.

"I must say, I never thought I'd see you doing some menial task like this. Especially not in front of me." She replied idly, and smirked when he froze for a second.

"If you start rumours, I'll make sure to take hugely long breaks, so you can't work. Raynor said that a marine has to be with you techies at all times." He warned her, leaning back in his chair. She pouted at him.

"You're so cruel, Marcus." She whined at him, making the marine laugh at her.

"Eat your soup, and get better. I'm getting bored with Perkins. He has nothing interesting to say." He leaned back in his chair, eyeing the room distastefully.

"He has plenty interesting to say. You just can't understand most of it." The captain shot back, waving her spoon around. Marcus chuckled at her.

"If you say so, girl, if you say so." At that, she made a face at him, inwardly surprised at how hungry she was. The two sat in a comfortable silence, each engrossed with their own thoughts as time flew by.

* * *

Could you tell I that was sick when I wrote this? I couldn't help putting the soup in. Claudia needs to be fed, and I have no clue why I made her like that. Anyway! Please review, for reviews are to me as crack is to an addict.

~le freak


	9. Conversations

Hey guys! I am so sorry that I haven't updated this for ages, but I have just been so bogged down with uni work and assignments and exams, I've barely had time to think. However! That's all over now, so I'll actually have time to write! Yay!

Thanks to **_LeHannes_** (yes, I'm a girl), **_JustAnotherSilentReader, Serfius, nemo _**and **_T. Z. Townshend_** for reviewing, and to all my silent readers, it doesn't hurt to just type a few words. I won't bite, I promise.

Anywho! See Chapter One for disclaimer, and I shan't keep you waiting any longer! Enjoy the long-awaited chapter nine!

* * *

Artanis stared at his reflection in the washroom of his quarters, eyes flashing softly. He knew that the Captain would not know the meaning of such an intimate gesture before she compulsively reached out for him, but he couldn't help but wonder if her actions might be the same, even if she knew.

His face tingled as he recalled the soft fingers trailing down its side, and he had to suppress the urge to shiver. _She did not know,_ he reminded himself, ignoring the light twinge in his chest. He glared at his reflection.

_She was not aware of her actions,_ he told himself sternly. After a few moments, he pushed away from the uniformly blue counter and stalked irritably into his sleeping quarters.

Settling comfortably on the floor, his eyes dimmed as he began the light breathing exercises taught to him when he was a mere child. _Meditation will solve everything, _he thought reassuringly to himself, a hint of desperation apparent, even to him. With that, he closed his mind off and melted into calm blankness.

* * *

Claudia glared steadily at Kara, the medic completely ignoring her expression as she poked and prodded at the techie's wounds.

"Ow." Claudia deadpanned, making the other glance at her.

"It's your fault for crawling into small spaces. Hopefully you'll learn from this." The medic said sternly, going back to checking the large wound.

"Being electrocuted never stopped me from playing around with electronics before." Claudia replied, earning a hard glare from her friend.

"You're insane, doll. Now listen here. You're healing up very nicely, and it's probably going to take another few days before you can get back to re-jigging the science vessel. I'm keeping you here for one more night of observation." The brunette said briskly, an impatient wave of her hand cutting off the protest that was forming on the techie's lips. Claudia pouted, crossing her arms.

"That doesn't work on me." Kara reminded her. The techie scowled.

"I am _not_ paying off your gambling debts." She snapped. Kara smirked.

"If you do, I just might shave off an extra day off your work ban." The medic sang, inwardly grinning at the thoughtful expression that settled on the techie's face.

"How much are we talking about, here?" She asked slowly, growing wary at the medic's unholy grin.

"250 credits and a night with one of the marines. I forget which one he is, but I'll know him when I see him." Kara replied breezily, plastering an innocent expression on her face. Claudia's jaw dropped.

"How... you... no. _Hell_ no. I'm not even going to _ask_ about that last part. I'll stay in the extra day, thank you." The techie frantically waved her arms in front of her, leaning as far back into the pillows as she could get.

"Ask no questions and I'll tell no lies, doll." The medic smirked at her friend, who was steadily becoming more flushed.

The door hissed open, signalling the end to the light banter between the two women. Marcus stepped into the room, boots making a dull thud on the uniformly grey floor. His dark eyes flicked between the smirking medic and her cringing, red-faced patient. His brow furrowed in confusion.

"Okay... do I leave you two ladies alone, and come back later?" He asked slowly.

"No!" Claudia cried out, stretching a hand out towards the marine.

"She's traumatising me, Marcus." She continued, ignoring Kara, who had started chuckling.

"You poor thing." The medic mocked, before a wry grin made its way onto her face.

"Alright, I'll leave you alone. Don't make a run for it. I'll know." The brunette warned before disappearing around the closing door. Marcus raised an eyebrow at the medic, boots thudding gently on the floor as he crossed to his red-faced friend.

"So, traumatising you, huh?" He said conversationally, cracking a grin when the captain pulled a pillow from behind her and whacked him with it.

"Oh, shut up." She muttered, tucking the pillow behind her again. He laughed quietly at her, eyes doing a customary quick sweep of the room. He settled down into the chair, and the two fell into silence.

It was only a few minutes later before Claudia turned to the marine, a sheepish expression on her face.

"So... how's the science vessel project going?" She asked, eyes hopeful. The marine stared at her for a moment.

"Apparently, pretty slowly. The medics are refusing entry to the techs so you're resting, not working." He replied, inwardly wincing at the increasingly angry techie.

"What?" She asked evenly, shoulders tightening. Marcus grimaced.

"It wasn't my decision, alright? Don't shoot the messenger." He told her, inwardly relaxing a bit as she visibly calmed down. The techie huffed, turning to examine the medical equipment beside her.

"I've gotta say, you're less stressed. You should take breaks more often." Marcus commented, dodging the fist she sent flying his way.

"My work is very important, and nobody's up to my level yet! I can't just take breaks when I feel like it!" She threw her hands up, the frustration clear on her face. The marine studied her for a few moments.

"Then you need to get yourself someone who's good enough to learn from you." He replied, leaning forward in his chair. Claudia sighed.

"The closest person that description fits would be Perkins, but he doesn't have enough imagination. He's gotta do everything by the book." She sighed again, kneading her eyes with the balls of her palms.

"Okay... then maybe you need to pop one out." Marcus suggested, grinning at Claudia's wide eyes.

"Not funny, Marcus. Really, don't joke about that, _ever_." The heart monitor jumped, beeping faster and louder than before. The marine cast glance at it before dismissing it.

"You know that any kid of yours will be just as smart as you." He fixed the techie with dark eyes.

"If you can't find an opportunity, then create it." He stressed, before dropping his eyes to the grey floor. Claudia leant back, mind rolling over the marine's words. Her mind flashed to Artanis, and she flushed bright red before she could stop herself. Marcus raised an eyebrow at the techie as her face burned.

"Who are y- actually, I don't wanna know. Keep whoever you're thinking about to yourself." He ordered, shifting uncomfortably. The captain flashed him a glare.

"Shut up." She muttered, before turning her back on the marine. Marcus stood, waited a few moments, and finally sighed before trudging out the door, boots clunking on the metallic floor.

* * *

Claudia grinned as she walked into docking bay four, raising an eyebrow at Perkins, who was sitting at what was clearly a Protoss desk, with components of the observer scattered around him as he muttered to himself. She silently made her way up to the desk, watching as he connected a few wires. He disappeared.

"Nice work, Perkins. Need any help, or do you want to fill me in?" She asked casually, watching as the other technician became visible again, staring up at her.

"Captain!" He crowed, carefully putting the wires down.

"I've finally discovered the mechanism for the invisibility of the observer! It's amazing how little energy it uses. We could even install it into tanks, goliaths and vultures!" He ranted, waving his arms about passionately. Claudia smiled.

"Nice job, Perkins. Have you figured the calculations necessary to expand the field to cover the science vessel?" She asked, pulling over a large empty crate. She pulled herself up on it, oblivious of the presence lurking near the entrance of the docking bay.

Artanis stared impassively at the dark-haired captain, relishing the feel of her thoughts washing through his mind. _Like silk,_ he mused.

He grew inwardly amused at the slight tug of agitation directed at the other techie. Allowing much of his mind to relax, he focused on the captain, letting the rise and fall of her tone wash over him.

"Perkins... If you couldn't figure out what to do, why didn't you just come down and see me?" Claudia asked, exasperated. Perkins muttered something inaudible.

"Say again?" She asked, arching an eyebrow. The other techie sighed.

"Your friend, the medic, refused to let me in to see you. I tried to explain the significance of my visit, but she threw me out of the medbay. Literally." He replied, face darkening. Claudia laughed, head thrown back. Perkins scowled. She continued chuckling at him, shaking her head.

"She was just worried, Perkins, relax. It wasn't anything personal." She explained, casting her eyes out towards the science vessel. She quietly noted that it was smaller than what she was used to seeing. _How did I miss that before?_ She wondered, reluctantly dragging her eyes back to the other techie. He sighed at her.

"Alright, but I just wish that she hadn't done it in front of Praetor Artanis." He stared down at the butchered Observer in front of him. The captain frowned.

"Maybe I _will_ have a word with her." She muttered, idle hands picking up a small panel off the Observer. She absently noted that the yellow colour of the shell matched the inside. _I wonder what alloys they use,_ she thought to herself, turning it over.

_For any question, an answer can be found,_ a psionic voice interrupted her thoughts. Claudia squeaked and jumped violently, the panel clattering to the floor as her left hand shot down towards where her pistol usually was. Sliding off her make-shift chair, she came face-to-chest with a Protoss. Her eyes travelled upwards to the amused face of Artanis. Closing her eyes, she let out a relieved sigh.

"Don't _do_ that. I've shot people for less." She scolded him, before she could help herself. Behind her, Perkins also slid to his feet, hand at his ear.

"Science Officer wants me." He muttered, scurrying off towards the main doors. Artanis tilted his head to the side, softly flashing eyes never leaving hers.

_What else have you shot people for? _He asked curiously, unperturbed. She blinked at him, a light blush dusting her cheeks.

"Uh... well, there was this one time where I was in my lab, and a marine came in real quiet-like, so when I saw him, I freaked and shot him in the head. It turned out that he was a Confed spy anyway, but still." She rambled, taking a tiny step backwards. A small wave of amusement, not her own, washed over her. She managed a smile.

Artanis took a step closer to her, golden eyes burning. The smile slid off her face as she stared up at him. The universe around them shrank as they stared at each other, only centimetres apart.

_I must ask you a question,_ he told her, psionic voice so low she could barely hear it. Nodding slightly, she unconsciously drew herself up to her full height, which, beside the Protoss in front of her, was laughable.

_Now that you know what your actions meant,_ he ignored her miniscule start of surprise, leaning down closer to her, _would you do it again?_ He finished, wholly focused on the tiny dark-haired Terran. Her eyes widened.

* * *

As usual, cookies for reviewers! Seriously guys, it won't kill you to review. I need them! They're a writer's crack, and I'm addicted. Till next time!


	10. Ohshi

Hey guys! Just quickly, I'd like to say Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Seasons Greetings and all that jazz.

This chapter was an absolute bitch to write, and I'm pretty sure I edited it about twenty times. Anywho! Thank you to **_nemo, MarksmanKNG, Pyromaniac275, Serfius_** and **_Some101 _**for reviewing, and all constructive critisism will be taken into account when writing more chapters! See chapter one for the disclaimer, and enjoy!

* * *

"W-what?' She stammered, face heating up. He tilted his head to the side again, golden eyes burning at her, an intense mixture of heated curiosity and desire.

_Would you do it again, now that you are aware of the implications?_ He asked again, psionic voice barely audible. Unconsciously, her mouth opened slightly, and she licked her lips.

"I don't know." She breathed, suddenly finding it difficult to do anything other than stare helplessly into the Protoss' eyes as his mind overwhelmed her own.

The weight of almost three hundred years crashed down upon her, and she struggled to breathe amongst it all. The thoughts, the feelings that whirled around her were so foreign, so... alien. The sheer strength of it all nearly drove her to her knees, and as she wavered, a overwhelming loneliness hit her, both his and her own. Her knees buckled alarmingly, and Artanis abruptly pulled his presence from her mind, leaving her gasping for breath.

Slowly, tenderly, he reached out to her, a clawed hand tracing the soft curves of her face. Her eyes closed involuntarily, and she leaned into him, a barely audible sigh escaping her lips. Artanis stared down at the Terran in front of him, a peaceful expression settled across her features. His golden eyes burned as he drew her closer, causing her to glance up at him with half-lidded eyes. _It would never work out,_ she thought to him, dropping her eyes to the floor.

_The future is hidden to us,_ Artanis advised, experimentally running a hand through her dark hair. She shook her head gently, dislodging his hand.

"Please let me think about it." She whispered, wide eyes staring up at him. Artanis searched her face, and was stunned to see how fragile she looked, how alien... human. He finally nodded, tracing the line of her hair for a final time, tip of his claw gently tickling under her chin. She shivered, a split second before a large explosion rocked the entire ship violently, throwing both Artanis and Claudia onto the floor.

"Shit!" Claudia yelled, hand flying up to her ear. She pulled out her radio, and flung it on the floor. Artanis stared at her as he jumped to his feet.

"My radio fried. Let's get to the bridge." With that, she abruptly tugged on the hand she was offered, pulling herself to her feet and sprinting towards the bay doors, trusting that the proud Praetor was following. Three corridors down, she dodged past a couple of techies, who flagged her down.

"Captain! The radios went down!" One of them yelled after her as she ran past them.

"Use shortwave! It should still be up!" She yelled back, disappearing around a corner. The techies flattened against the wall as Artanis rounded the corner, disappearing after the captain.

They sprinted through the doors to the bridge, just in time to see a swarm of Zerg Mutalisks flying towards the cruiser.

"Where are our air units?" Claudia demanded, rounding on the nearest marine. Marcus glanced down at her.

"We've got bigger problems. They've overrun a space platform, and they're building up big." He relayed to her, expressionless. She scowled.

"Can you get me a shortwave to my boy working on the Valkyries?" She asked tersely, watching as the Mutalisks began to slow.

"We're here, Captain." A voice behind her said smugly. She whirled around, fixing the two with a fierce glare.

"How far have you gotten on your projects?" She demanded. The second technician, a Protoss, nodded at the window.

_We're in testing stages, Captain, if you'll look outside,_ he advised, a hint of amusement in his psionic voice. Claudia turned and stared at the restructured Valkyries, jaw dropping as they hovered above the Mutalisks, dropping flashes of blue light onto the Zerg units.

"You used space mines?" She asked in awe as the Mutalisks disintegrated.

_We merely took an old technology and modified it for such a situation,_ the Protoss replied, clearly smug. Claudia nodded, impressed.

"Well done, guys. It's so simple and effective." She praised, feeling the eyes of four people on her. The cruiser banked sharply to the left, narrowly avoiding an attack of scourages that exploded close to their right flank. The Protoss at the controls stood straighter, conversations whipping back and forth between them. Claudia frowned, turning towards the Valkyrie experts.

"Is there a spare Valkyrie?" She asked abruptly, eyebrows raising as they glanced at each other.

"There's one that just needs a little bit more tweaking before it's ready." The Terran replied hesitantly.

"Good. You've got ten minutes to get it running. We need more units out there." She ordered, heading towards the door of the bridge.

_And who will fly the Valkyrie?_ Artanis asked curiously, golden eyes focused on the tiny captain. She gave him a grim smile, trying to hide the way her stomach flipped as he spoke.

"Me. I've flown them before." She replied, heading towards the door. Artanis stared after her, barely managing to keep his worry and frustration from spilling out towards the other Protoss. The Valkyrie techies quickly made their way after the captain, arguing loudly about wiring. Artanis turned to Marcus, the marine staring straight ahead.

_Does sh-_

"Yes."

_I did not finish my question._

"I don't need to be psychic to know what you're thinking when it comes to the captain and her behaviour." Artanis glanced at the other male before striding up to take central positioning, psi energy flowing around him as he began to fire upon the platform.

* * *

Claudia rounded the corner into the bay, instantly spotting the two technicians standing underneath one of the few remaining spacecrafts in the hanger. Nodding in satisfaction, she shoved a pair of goggles into the pocket of her jumpsuit before striding over. The Terran glanced up at her just as he pulled the fuel hose away.

"She's all ready to go, Captain." He called out to her, pulling the hose away. Claudia nodded to them.

"Any changes from the original that I need to be aware of?" She asked briskly, running her fingertips over what little of the hull she could reach.

_Not for your main controls, although you might want to activate shielding before you leave the hangar,_ the Protoss advised, stepping backwards. She smiled at them.

"Thanks, guys, for your help. See you when I get back." She said before pulling herself up the ladder. She pulled her crash-helmet on, and attached the oxygen mask to her face.

_HEY!! _She thought loudly, aiming it towards the Protoss backing away from the spacecraft. He turned, golden eyes eerily similar to Artanis'. Pushing that comparison away, she deliberately looked down at the controls in front of her before flicking her eyes back up towards the Protoss technician. _Which one's for shielding?_ His eyes glowed knowingly at her as he mentally sent an image of the keypad to the left of her. She blinked and turned to it, resisting the urge to grin. There had always been one blank space on the keypad, which had always annoyed the Valkyrie pilots.

She waved, a slip of a grin making its way onto her face. Prepping the ship, she turned it towards the hangar doors and out into space.

Instantly, she banked a hard left as a Scourge attempted to ram her, and caught it in her exhaust, smirking as it shrivelled away. Speeding out to where the main battle was, she barrel-rolled out of the way as two mutalisks dive-bombed her, the shield briefly flashing bright blue as a Glave Wurm smashed into it. A control beeped, alerting her to the dip in shield energy.

"Die, you fuckers." She snarled, and flipped around to chase the two Zerg towards the main cruiser, locking on as she flew above them, unleashing a space mine. A flash of blue light, and they disappeared.

Rejoining the main battle, she frowned as she realised that their joint force was outnumbered by the sheer force of air units.

"_Guardians incoming!"_ One of the pilots yelled through the radio. Claudia swore violently, leaving off chasing down a mutalisk. Mutalisks were easy to kill. They were the zerglings of the skies, successful only in numbers and close quarters. Guardians were a lot tougher, and they didn't die easily.

Artanis stared down at the platform, mentally frowning.

_Do you believe that if _The Tassadar_ were able to cover for you, a small ground force could land and begin elimination of their hives?_ He asked Marcus, who whipped his head around to stare at the Praetor.

"I only have _five men_. That's a suicide mission." The marine all but snarled back. Artanis glanced at him expressionlessly.

_You would hold command over my own troops,_ he advised in a very patient tone. The hardened marine blinked.

"Alright. I'll start loading up the dropships." He muttered, boots clanging on the floor as he left the room.

_Take several probes, to warp in photon cannons. They will be useful,_ another Protoss called out, as the marine passed through the doors. A slight pause to nod at the comment, and the marine was off, determined to do anything possible to eradicate the race that had killed most of his friends.

* * *

Claudia swore in frustration as another acidic glob from a Guardian hit her, a warning light beeping at her as the shields dipped again, dangerously low. Another mutalisk, sensing that she was weak, swooped in for the kill. The captain screamed, banking the Valkyrie hard to the right, towards the platform.

Almost in slow motion, a Scourge which had somehow survived the massacre earlier, dived towards her. She could almost see its beady black eyes as it eagerly bared down on her. Then it hit, and she was spiralling out of control towards the platform, screaming and clawing for the radio.

"THIS IS VALKYRIE TWELVE, I AM GOING DOWN, I REPEAT, VALKYRIE TWELVE IS GOING DOWN!" She screamed, green eyes widened in terror as the platform loomed closer.

By some stroke of luck, the ship didn't crash, and instead skittered across the surface, hitting a mass of zerglings in its wake. The ship finally settled into more remote part of the platform, an abandoned bunker conveniently only a few hundred meters away.

Sharp breaths came from inside the cabin, and the cracked window of the cockpit slowly rose. A frightened face peered over the rim, eyes wide, and blood matting hair as it stuck wetly to pale skin.

Sounds just over the distorted metallic rise began, chittering and groaning metal. A low gasp, and the Terran flung herself out of the cockpit, and ran for the bunker, its dull gleam never more appealing.

Artanis stared at the on-board radio, fury beginning to boil within. No longer able to contain himself, he mentally roared; all the fury, blood-lust, pain and worry mentally blasting into every being on the ship.

* * *

I think I just created another cliffhanger. Sorry guys!

Please feed this poor review-addicted writer by clicking that lovely white button with the green writing and leaving a review! As always, reviewers get cookies, constructive critisism gets taken into account, and any and all flames will be used to cook my marshmellows.

If I don't punch out another chapter by New Year's... Happy new year, and may 2010 be better than any other year to date!

~le freak


	11. Operation: Rescue

Hey guys, I'm really sorry about how long it's taken to update! I've started a full-time job, which is leaving me utterly exhausted, but I've started coping better with it now, so hopefully I'll be able to pick up the pace on the writing front. I've really missed it.

Thank you to **_Dar Sel'La, JustAnotherSilentReader, Some101_** and **_Sharnorasian Empire_** for your lovely reviews, and I ask all of you to keep feeding me reviews!

See Chapter One for the disclaimer. Okay, I won't keep you any longer. Enjoy!

* * *

Claudia flung herself into the bunker, slamming the door closed just as the first zergling bounded over the top of the low metallic rise. She dropped to the floor, hands flying to her head as it was jarred. She winced as it throbbed painfully, hands coming away coated in blood. _Shit,_ she thought, closing her eyes briefly. Determined to ignore her injury, she glanced around the almost derelict bunker for some sort of weapon, anything that could stave off the zerg while she figured out how to contact the ships.

Her eyes fell on a long disused gauss rifle, and instantly scrambled towards it.

"Please, please _please_ have extra clips." She whispered, trembling hands frantically searching amongst the boxes to her left. Majority were empty, but one was completely full, and several others had a few clips left in them. Sighing in relief, she checked the clip inside the rifle, refusing to look at the blood splashed on the barrel of the gun. _Human blood,_ her traitorous mind informed her.

With the rifle securely in her grasp, she crept to the nearest window, and stared out at the Valkyrie. It was little more than scrap metal, and surrounded by zerglings, which excitedly chittered as they jumped on top of it, clearly smelling her blood. A Hydralisk appeared out of nowhere, and she blinked, realising that an Overlord had arrived, and was scouring the area.

She sunk down, tears threatening to leak from her eyes. The radio, and any modifying thereof was completely out of the question. The only question to think about was how she was going to die: by zerg, thirst or her own stupidity.

Peeking back over the windowsill, she saw lurkers settle around the ship, burrowing underground as they patiently began to wait for any rescue attempt.

* * *

Artanis boarded the dropship, immediately settling down into the nearest Protoss chair. Marcus, strapped in across from him, raised an eyebrow at him.

"You're coming with us now?" He asked, fiddling with his rifle. Artanis stared expressionlessly at him.

_Captain Black has been shot down, and another Valkyrie pilot saw her run into a bunker. This mission is now purely rescue. I am confident that our air forces will eradicate the Zerg,_ he replied dispassionately. Marcus nodded.

"Hear that boys? We got ourselves a damsel in distress to rescue." He called out, catching the attention of the rest of the cabin. Several heads nodded in acknowledgement, and others chuckled.

"Then what's the chariot waiting for?" Another marine called out, smacking his knee. The pilot turned from his seat to give the marine a disparaging glance.

"Clearance to get to the platform. Unless you'll like to become food for a Mutalisk, of course." The 'duh' was all but said. He turned around, shaking his head. The radio came to life.

"_Dropships, you have a go. We're covering your six, now get down there." _A scratchy voice sounded, and they were off. The ride was harrowing, as they dodged left and right to avoid Guardians and Glave Wurms flying their way. A guard of three Valkyries appeared behind them, shooting down anything that was in their path.

"I've got a clear area, I'll be setting you down there, but I can't stay. Too risky." The pilot called out from his position at the controls. Without waiting for a response, the dropships veered off course, dropping sharply as it dived towards the platform. The Valkyries dived after it in quick succession, blasting away at the ground in an attempt to kill any zerg hidden below ground.

The first dropship landed, and the troops quickly ran out, gauss rifles and psi blades at the ready. An observer floated out of the dropship, closely followed by two probes, which immediately began to warp in photon cannons. Marcus breathed in the recycled air of the platform, glad that the shield, filter and gravity field had not been tampered with.

Artanis stared at his surroundings, golden eyes mapping out the rise of the dull grey metal, cataloguing the most likely points where the zerg would come from. His eyes hardened as he realised that they could attack from anywhere.

"Alright guys, the captain's two clicks to the north. This was the closest place we could land without getting overrun straight away by them critters. Protect the probes and observers, now spread out so we can cover this hollow. Move!" Marcus barked, readying his gauss rifle. Dark eyes slid across to Artanis, who gave a solemn nod to the marine.

Angry chittering preceded the first wave of zerglings, as they rushed towards the small group of both Terrans and Protoss. The dropships closed their doors, and, with a signal, began to fly away as the first Mutalisk arrived and began chasing the defenceless ships.

_Protect the warp rift!_ Artanis roared as he sliced an advancing zergling apart with ease. Another zergling leapt at him, jaws open and drooling as it eyed him in hunger. Artanis' rage fuelled him as he mentally roared at it, almost leaping forward to decapitate the beast, narrowly avoiding another zergling's attempt to rush him from below as his other psi blade swung downwards, spraying his legs with its blood.

The first photon cannon finished warping in, and immediately began firing, just as the hyrdralisks agitatedly slithered their way towards the enemies of the swarm.

* * *

Claudia perked up as she heard the rifles firing, and chanced a look over the windowsill. The zergling and lone hydralisk were clearly agitated, running up to the low metallic rise, then down again to the ship, their chittering more intense, sharper than what it was before.

Taking a chance, she carefully raised her rifle, aiming for the hydralisk, which could do more damage to the bunker than the zergling. She tracked it for a few seconds, then fired, praying that the rifle would actually work. If it didn't, she was a dead woman.

The hydralisk dropped to the ground just as the recoil on the gauss rifle forced Claudia to fall backwards, smacking her head on the cold metallic floor again. She silently groaned, shifting the rifle so she could sit up.

Slowly opening her eyes, she focused on a large blue shape that wasn't there before. Blinking, her vision swam into focus, and she stared at the zergling which had somehow climbed into the bunker, and was eyeing her hungrily, drool escaping out of its clenched teeth.

Her eyes widened, and she swung the gauss rifle around, just as the zergling made to leap at her. It jumped, snarling and snapping its jaws as the captain shot upwards towards it, back falling flat against the floor as she continued to shoot, even though a small part of her knew that she had killed it.

She cried out in pain as the full weight of the zergling impacted heavily on her legs, trapping her underneath the beast. _Why do I get myself into these situations?! _She mentally yelled, dropping the rifle as she tried to pull herself from underneath the zergling.

A faint sound came from outside, and the captain froze, craning her neck to see if other zerglings had made it through the window. Excited chittering started up, more than a few. Her eyes widened, glancing down at the gauss rifle. _I don't have a clear shot... how the hell am I gonna get out of this one?_ She thought desperately, looking around for something more substantial than the rifle.

Her search came up empty, and as the scratching began from the window, she made her decision, and flopped onto the cool dark grey metal, feeling the abrasions roughly digging into her cheek. She closed her eyes, concentrating on lowering her breathing just as the first zergling cleared the window, blood red eyes in a sea of heaving blue flesh searching the small bunker.

_Please don't notice me, please please _please_ just chitter for a few seconds and go away,_ she thought desperately, almost screaming as a spiked muzzle nudged her in the ribs. She moved limply, holding her breath as the zergling stood over the top of her.

It chittered twice to its companions outside before viciously sinking its teeth into the other zergling on top of her, tugging it towards the window. She held her breath as she heard it drag its dead outside, and only dared to fill her lungs when she heard the sound of tearing flesh. She winced, slowly opening her eyes.

The bunker was clear of the zerg. Frantically, trying to make as little noise as possible, she searched around for a hiding place. She came to a halt in front of a set of lockers, vivid green eyes assessing their size.

The captain estimated that she could possibly fit into one, but without the rifle. She glanced back at its position on the floor. The chittering began again, this time right outside the window.

Everything she had been trained to do screamed out as she climbed into the locker, quietly shutting the door behind her. She managed to somehow sink to the bottom, chin coming to a rest on her knee.

Closing her eyes, she listened as the chittering became louder, angrier, as they realised that she had gone.

She twitched violently at loud sound, imagining the zerglings throwing themselves at the cabinets and lockers in their anger. Another crunch of metal sounded, directly to her left. The lockers rocked ever so slightly, and it was all that she could do not to cry out in terror as her mind's eye pictured the lockers smashed in, cool grey metal twisted and shattered beyond repair.

More chittering, and finally she heard them leave. Claudia let out a breath that she didn't know that she was holding, and carefully unfolded herself, standing upright. Her legs had pins and needles, and almost dropped out from under her. Righting herself, she peered out the small slits in the door, and saw nothing. The ancient gauss rifle lay in amongst loose shells, the copper glinting where it caught the light from outside the bunker.

Quietly opening the locker, she delicately stepped out, large frightened eyes darting around the bunker as she crept to her small saving grace; the rifle. Snatching it up, she cradled it gently to her chest as she would a baby, and retreated to the furthest corner, hypersensitive of the large open window.

Settling herself down, she stared at the zerg's only entrance point, and waited.

* * *

Artanis roared in fury as he cut down another zergling, urging the team onwards. The myriad of soldiers and zealots followed his lead, attacking the new wave of relentless zerg with renewed enthusiasm.

Only a few of the allied forces had fallen, and the zealots who had burst into psi energy had startled the zerg just enough to halt their attack for a micro-second, which had allowed for the slightest advantage, and Artanis pressed it hard.

Slowly, slowly, the rate of attacking zerg decreased, finally stopping altogether. The marines slowly lowered rifles, suspicious eyes darting around the metallic hollow.

"Alright, listen up! You eight, look after the cannons and this landing area so we can get our butts home, am I clear?" Marcus yelled out, gesturing to a small cluster of zealots.

_It shall be done,_ they intoned, perfectly in unison.

"Good! I estimate the next wave in about twenty minutes, but hopefully we'll be back by then. Everyone else, prepare to move out!" He yelled, cautiously moving forward, mentally willing an observer to follow.

Artanis silently made his way to the marine, golden eyes flashing softly. Marcus glanced up at him, then back to a small map showing in the screen of his helmet.

_I await your lead,_ the Praetor said simply, psi blades still activated, giving the young Protoss an almost demonic look. Marcus gave a wild grin.

"Outstanding." He declared, before running up the low metallic slope. He raised his rifle, fired twice, and kept going. The rescue operation was underway.

* * *

...I think I managed to create another cliffhanger. Sorry!

Please feed this poor review-addicted writer by clicking that lovely white button with the green writing and leaving a review! As always, reviewers get cookies, constructive critisism gets taken into account, and any and all flames will be used to cook my marshmellows.

See you next time, folks!

~ le freak


	12. Die, Zerg, Die

Hey all! I've actually gotten myself into a writing mood, so here's another chapter! I apologise for the chapters being generally short, but it's just the way I operate. For now, anyway. Thanks to _Sharnorasian Empire, Pyromaniac275_ and _Serfius_ for their reviews.

**!!!ATTENTION ALL READERS!!!**

I originally began writing this story for the hell of it, but it has morphed into something a lot more. It is my intention to attempt to write a novel, and this story has become my main practice ground. After I finish this, the novel is what I'll be working on.

I honestly need your help, guys. Please please _please_ give me constructive criticism as to what I'm doing wrong with _anything_ in here. I mean it. You all know what style of writing you like to read, and I need your comments to create the best possible experience for you. I promise that when at least half the novel is done, I'll put it up on my fictionpress account, which can be accessed from my homepage. I really need your help with this, and I would appreciate it if you could help me out.

Thanks,

~le freak

* * *

Claudia stared at the opening, acutely and uncomfortably aware of the ruins of the once-whole bunker around her. The uniformly grey lockers to her left had a distinctly zergling-shaped dint stretched across four lockers, the one she had been hiding in miraculously untouched.

The rifle had been swiped into the far corner where the ammunition was stacked, looking far more battered than it had beforehand, copper shells glinting in what little light there was in the far corner of the bunker.

She inhaled once, holding her breath. There were no sounds, bar that of distant weapons fire, and the occasional scream of ships and zerg flying in a desperate race, not far above.

Shakily gathering her breath, she somehow managed to creep as quietly as she could, gathering as much courage as she could to peer over the jagged edge of the window. Her ship was still there, broken and derelict, but nothing else.

Her mouth quirked in a frown, calculating what they possibly could have left behind in order to guard her ship. As it dawned on her, her mouth fell open in horror. Her rescue would turn into a slaughter, and she would have nobody to blame but herself.

* * *

The first zealot charged over the low metallic rise, psi blades activated, face clearly expressing his bloodlust and excitement for battle. He was followed by two others, and before she could scream, get their attention, a spike rose through each of their chests, killing them instantly.

_STOP!!!!!!_ A familiar mental voice screamed, Artanis rocking backwards from the sheer force.

_Halt!_ He cried out to the small force of allied warriors. All movement around him stilled, curious eyes flicking to him before scouting as far as they could see.

"Why did we stop?" Marcus asked tightly, moving his way to the Praetor, who stared down at the Terran.

_I was mentally warned that there was a trap waiting for us before we could rescue the captain,_ the warrior explained, golden eyes flashing dangerously. Marcus nodded.

"Get an observer here, on the double!" He yelled into his commlink, face tense. The small force spread out, covering as much ground as they dared without spreading themselves too thinly.

Artanis watched, golden eyes flashing in irritation as the observer slowly made its way over. He mentally made a note to talk to the captain, when they were safely back on _The Tassadar,_ about the speed of the observers. It finally came into position, hovering over the twisted remains of the captain's ship.

Marcus snarled audibly as the four burrows were discovered at each corner of the wreckage. Hefting his rifle into position, he fired on the closest hole, dark eyes betraying no surprise as a lurker burrowed out of its hiding place, trying to escape the gunfire.

One last shot rippled into the beast's flesh, and it collapsed, blood streaming down its sides as it heaved its last breath. Marcus yelled incoherently, gesturing to the other three burrows with his rifle, his marines opening fire on them.

As soon as the way was clear, they ran down the low metallic rise, keeping tightly in formation.

Artanis was the first to break rank, first to reach the bunker and find his prize. He stared down at the captain, inwardly growing more furious by the second. There was a semi-dried blood trail from a cut on her hairline, and her jumpsuit had blood all over it. From a quick inspection, the Praetor was relieved to see that it didn't appear to be her blood.

Claudia stared up at the familiar face of the Protoss warrior, the tight knuckle-white grip on the ancient rifle loosening ever-so slightly.

"They got in here." Her voice was small, hushed to the point where he was hearing her mentally rather than physically. He stooped, large clawed hands strangely gentle as he lifted her with ease.

"I hid in one of the lockers. They smashed the other ones, to see if I was in there, but then they heard the gunfire." She told him, large green eyes staring up at him.

_Hush, _he told her, pulling her out of the bunker. As he got her into the full light and away from the metal shell, he glanced inside, noting the way the lockers were smashed in, and the gorges in the soft metal of the very inner structure.

_Are you injured?_ He asked her, golden eyes flashing in agitation as he was surrounded by the small force. She shook her head, eyes tracking across the horizon of the platform.

"Movement." She dutifully reported, making the entire company spin around to search for threats.

"Time to move. Can you walk, Captain?" Marcus injected, swinging his rifle into position.

"Yeah, but I won't be running marathons anytime soon. Zergling landed on my legs." She told him, mentally signalling the Praetor to put her down. He obliged, immediately activating his psi blades. Claudia eyed them for a moment.

"Funky. In a good way." She commented, before stiffly moving forward, Marcus hovering slightly behind her.

"I don't mean to rush you, girl, but we got movement behind us." He said tightly. She nodded, and started up a fast walking pace.

"Somebody please tell me where we're going." She said after a moment, drawing laughs and snorts from most of the troops.

_Straight ahead, two kilometres,_ Artanis replied, amusement evident. Now that he had her in his sights, he could relax, but not before he saw her into her quarters.

"Righto." She muttered, bringing up the rifle with a little difficulty. They made their way along the Zerg-infested platform, the observer floating silently above them.

_I survived,_ Claudia thought, dazed. _I thought I'd die... What would've killed me first, the Zerg, dehydration or my own stupidity? _

_The Zerg are more intelligent than they appear. They would have found you before dehydration killed you,_ Artanis replied privately to her thoughts. She blinked. _Oh. Okay._ She thought, dazedly watching as two zealots sliced a zergling apart.

_We are almost at the secure site. There are dropships waiting there,_ he gently told her, golden eyes flashing as she turned to smile at him.

"Can't wait to get back." She replied softly, sure that he could hear her over the gunfire.

They rounded a small rise, hearing the fire of photon cannons and the squealing of zerg as they were destroyed. Three dropships hovered nervously over the small area, quickly landing as the rescue party came into range.

Quickly piling everyone into the ships, they took off, narrowly avoiding the spines from three angry hydralisks as they slithered agitatedly below on the platform.

Claudia's eyes met Marcus' as she was strapped in, still clutching the rifle tightly.

"Claudia, listen to me, girl. You're outta there. You made it. You don't need to hold onto this anymore." He tugged at the ancient rifle she was holding, and she lowered her head to look at it in her hands, bewildered as to what it was still doing there. She looked back up at the marine, blinking slowly.

"Okay." She said, almost childish in her tone as her hands loosened, and the marine was able to pull it from her grip. She stared at her bare hands for a moment, before the exhaustion of too much adrenaline kicked in, forcing her eyes shut.

The last thing she saw was Artanis, calm golden eyes focused solely on her.

* * *

Marcus stared at the platform, satisfaction unknowingly making its way across his face as the cruiser's energy beams cut right through the air processing station, the vacuum of space killing what ground units were still alive. The only flying zerg left were three Guardians and a Mutalisk, hovering over the remains of their small colony.

The marine grinned unconsciously, fists clenching and relaxing as the cruiser launched another small attack force on the four, destroying them almost as soon as the six Scouts opened fire.

Artanis quietly came up beside the marine, dispassionately watching the debris floating away from the platform.

_Justice has been served,_ he said impassively, before clenching clawed hands into fists.

_Although I would give much to sink my blades into their vile flesh again,_ he snarled, eyes flashing in his anger. Marcus glanced at the Praetor, alarmed.

"Hey, man, we got her back in one piece. Kara said that she'll be fine, once she gets over the shock. Anyway, there's plenty of critters out there you can gut. Just not right now, okay?" The marine took a step back to assess the Protoss warrior, who relaxed his hands, letting them fall limply at his sides.

_There is much wisdom in your words, young Terran,_ he replied, taking a few steps closer to the window in order to view the wreckage. The body of a zergling floated past, and Artanis inwardly grew smug.

"Okay. I'm gonna go check on Claudia. I don't think she'll be awake, but I'll let you know how she's doing." Marcus turned to go.

_I will visit her myself when she is awake,_ Artanis retorted, watching the marine in the reflection of the glass. Marcus caught his eye, then nodded uncertainly before disappearing out the doorway.

* * *

Claudia blearily opened her eyes, instantly recognising the grey ceiling of the Terran infirmary, even before her eyes had time to focus. Groaning, she managed to bring everything into focus, blinking away the last of the fog.

Turning her head to the side, she found both Marcus and Kara staring at her, arms crossed. Recognising the identical look on their faces, she decided to go on the offensive.

"Don't you make a cute pair?" She croaked, wincing as the words were forced through her dry throat.

She laughed as they glanced at each other, Kara quickly moving for a pitcher of water that had been sitting by the techie's bedside, forcing some of it down her throat.

Marcus cleared his throat uncomfortably, standing up from his chair.

"Well, now that you're feeling better, gotta go spread the word. Artanis was making noises about coming down to visit." He relayed, before making his quick exit.

Kara gave her patient a pointed look.

"Thanks for getting rid of him, but that was pretty underhanded, doll." She scolded gently. Claudia offered a grin.

"I learned from the best." She replied, managing somehow to sound innocent. The medic scoffed, but settled down in the seat by the bed anyway.

"Not even a day before you end up back in here. What in the worlds am I going to do with you?" She asked, an ironic smile crossing her face. Claudia laughed quietly.

"All part of the job, my dear." She replied, green eyes darting to where the door hissed open. Her eyes widened comically as Artanis filled the doorway, calm eyes focused on her.

He took two steps into the room, eyes never leaving the captain's.

_Medic,_ he rumbled, instruction clear. Kara quietly slipped to her feet and made her way out of the room. The door hissed shut behind her, leaving the Praetor and the tiny Terran staring at each other, neither wanting to be the first to speak.

* * *

Please feed this poor review-addicted writer by clicking that lovely white button with the green writing and leaving a review! As always, reviewers get cookies, constructive critisism gets taken into account, and any and all flames will be used to cook my marshmellows.

~le freak


	13. A conclusion is reached

Hey guys. I am so sorry that this has taken so long, but it was so incredibly difficult to write, and I had to fight the storyline the entire way.

As for why I haven't put up a chapter is so long is that 1. I'm working full time, and get really tired after work, and 2. I have a torn tendon in my left shoulder, and I've barely been able to hold a pen. Thank you so much for your patience, everyone, and I would especially like to thank **_IceCat69, Dufflepud, Nianque, Ded-nvr-lvng-vmpr, Serfius, starspawn07, Pyromaniac275, Sharnorasian Empire _**and**_ Some101 _**for reviewing and everyone who has added me to story/author alert and their favorites.

See Chapter One for disclaimer.

Please remember that reviews are writer's crack, and we're all addicted!

* * *

Artanis stared at the Terran, once again in the bed that she had occupied not 24 hours before. He closed his eyes briefly, imprinting the sound of her thoughts in his mind.

_What am I to do with you?_ He asked quietly, unexpectedly. Claudia's mouth quirked into a sad smile.

"I don't know," She replied, shrugging suddenly frail shoulders. Her head drooped, dark purple smudges below her eyes thrown into sharp relief. He made his way to the chair by her bedside, silently seating himself.

"I've got the worst luck in the universe." She muttered, absently tracing the fabric of the blanket.

_You have survived,_ he argued bluntly, golden eyes flashing softly. She glanced up at him, vivid green eyes guarded.

"What do you mean?" She demanded, drawing herself up against the ever-present pillows. He regarded her curiously, eyes flashing softly as he tried to see her line of reasoning.

_It is true that you are unfortunate in your circumstances, but surely you must see that you are capable of surviving these incidents, _he reasoned, watching as she expressively struggled to rebut his argument. She shrugged helplessly.

"I'd prefer it if I _didn't _get into those kind of messes." She finally muttered, a light flush hazing across her cheeks. He cocked his head, puzzled. Sure, he understood her line of reasoning, but he knew that there was more that the techie wasn't saying.

At his inquisitive look, she took only a few seconds to decide whether or not to continue.

"I just _hate_ being the 'damsel-in-distress', and I hate it when people worry about me, and it damn well pisses me off that I _always_ end up in those situations!" She threw her hands into the air helplessly. Artanis stared at her a few more moments.

_The only logical thing, therefore, is to stop you from encountering these... situations,_ he slowly decided, eyes flashing rapidly. Claudia stared at the Praetor, cocking an eyebrow, a disbelieving look settling across her face.

"And how do you propose that?" She asked dryly, pouring herself another glass of water. He leant forward, brushing a lock of her hair behind her ear. She froze, uncertain eyes darting to his as he gently caressed the side of her cheek, before pulling himself back with a mental sigh.

He waited until she started moving again, before he voiced his thoughts.

_The only way that it would be certain is to lock you in your resting quarters,_ he suggested casually, leaning back in his chair. Claudia froze again, turning to stare at him.

"_What?_" She asked quietly, inwardly growing furious. The Protoss gave her a slightly confused look.

"I _refuse_ to be locked in my room. I'd go mad if I had nothing to do! This ship, and so many more in the fleet _need _me, and they _need_ my expertise. You do too. I helped _design_ this ship from the combustion engines to those fancy energy beams that your boys insisted on." She ranted, hands angrily waving in the air.

Artanis caught her hands, forcing the glass of water into them.

_Drink,_ he advised, face pinching into a smile. She glared at him, but there was no heat behind it. Reluctantly, she took a sip, feeling the cool water slip down the back of her throat. She took another sip, turning to glance at Artanis.

_Being locked in your resting quarters would potentially create some problems, _he agreed, considering the possibilities. She snorted, giving him a look, which he ignored.

_Which is why you should be in my own,_ he concluded, watching with amusement as she choked and sprayed the water all over the blanket. Her face slowly went bright red, with anger or embarrassment, he didn't know.

Stuttering incoherently, she was stunned into silence as he took her hands, placing them flat on the sides of his face. He mirrored his action with his own hands, the clawed tips of his fingers lightly digging into her hair.

"Oh..." She breathed, as words, thoughts and images flashed into her mind, some her own, others clearly his. It was so surreal, the way she could see into him the way he always could see into her. Respect, worry, anger at her capture, loneliness and overwhelming desire crowded into her mind, overpowering everything else.

She gasped, helplessly drowning as she stared into his eyes, flashing blue for the first time. _Blue eyes... what...?_ She thought fragmentally. _Strong emotion,_ came the reply, the Praetor only barely more in control of himself. _Desire..._ his mind hissed, and she nearly came undone by the forcefulness of his reaction.

Suddenly, the door to the room hissed open, causing them to drop their hands, the emotional pain of severing the connection flashing across both their faces. Claudia whimpered, causing Artanis to instinctively pull her towards him, expression hardening as he saw who was in the doorway.

Zeratul looked thunderous besides Raynor, who had both eyebrows raised.

"We interruptin' something?" He asked mildly, watching as his primary tech officer's face burned under their scrutiny.

_Artanis, what have you done?_ Zeratul roared, psi blades activating in his anger. The young Praetor pushed Claudia back as fast as he could, activating his own psi blades as he crouched in front of her, to defend, if necessary.

_What is necessary, Zeratul!_ Artanis snarled back, warily watching for any sort of attack.

"Whoa!" Raynor yelled at them. Cautiously, he wedged his way between them.

"Stop yelling at each other! Zeratul, officers in the Terran ranks are known to quite frequently do a lot more that what we were doing." Claudia stood up on the bed, finally eye-level with the livid Dark Templar.

_You do not know what you have done,_ he snapped at her, deactivating his psi blades. Artanis took a few seconds, but reluctantly followed suit.

"I've got a feeling we were doing the equivalent of making out, possibly with hands roaming." She rebutted, and Raynor had to fight not to smile.

The ancient warrior stared at the tiny Terran, whose chin was stuck out in determined resolution.

_It is more serious than that,_ he replied, suddenly weary. She blinked at the elder Protoss, before hesitantly turning to Artanis.

"Artanis, please explain the significance of what we were just doing." She requested politely. Raynor backed against a wall, cautiously leaning against it. The Praetor heaved a silent sigh. He had been hoping that he wouldn't have to explain until further down the track, and he could not avoid it.

_The Protoss are not known to take more than one mate in life, in all of our long history. What we were in the middle of, was a bonding process that would have ensured our connection to be resolute,_ he explained, twisting his head to glance at her. Claudia nodded calmly, then sat back down on the bed, her head spinning.

"Do you mean to say that what you were doing was making me as your mate?" She asked, dazed.

_And I yours,_ he confirmed, golden eyes flashing softly.

"Oh..." She breathed black dots swarming into her vision, making her sway slightly on the bed.

_Do you now see the significance, Terran?_ Zeratul bit out, clearly still furious. She nodded slowly, before turning to stare up at Artanis.

"I'm Terran. How would it work, between us?" She asked, a dazed expression settling across her features. Artanis knelt, gently brushing her cheek with the back of his clawed hand.

_There are ways,_ he told her, a thoughtful expression crossing his alien face. She reached out towards him, cupping his cheek with her hand.

"But I'll get old and die well before you." She whispered, completely forgetting the other two in the room. He nodded solemnly.

_It still will be worthwhile,_ he replied gently. She sighed, leaning into him.

"Only if you understand that I might only be around for another sixty or seventy years, and only twenty or so of those years where I'll be the same as I am now." She murmured, touching her cheek to his.

_I understand,_ he replied gently, drawing back to capture her face in his palms once more. She followed suit, dazed expression turning into pure bliss.

* * *

Raynor was shocked by their intimacy, and even more so by their size difference. The captain was, even by Terran standards, small, and with Artanis next to her, she seemed even tinier and fragile. The Praetor was not big for a Protoss, but he was definitely above average in height and size.

Zeratul could only watch as the odd pair completed their bonding, face pinching as his displeasure grew.

"Zeratul." Raynor called to the elder Protoss, voice low. The Prelate turned to the Terran whom he called 'friend'.

"Look at them. When have either of them seemed so happy? I've known Claudia since I recruited her out of the Confederacy program, and she barely cracks a true smile." Raynor rubbed his beard for a moment, staring at them before turning back to Zeratul.

_It is true that Artanis was reluctant in taking a mate, even back on Aiur. The Judicator had informed me of whom his trusted Praetors were at the time, and Artanis was one of them,_ The Dark Templar replied slowly, dropping his hands to his sides.

"I say we leave them. What's done is done, and you can't change anythin'." Raynor advised, slowly backing towards the door. Zeratul glanced at him before inclining his head, spinning around and swiftly walked out the door.

Glancing back at the couple, he almost choked when he saw Claudia lean forward, kissing the Praetor between the eyes. Turning, he silently walked as quickly as possible out of the medbay. _I am not running away,_ he thought firmly to himself as he crossed into a pale blue and yellow hallway.

Artanis slowly pulled away from Claudia, hands lingering for as long as they could.

_You must rest,_ he told her softly, gently dragging a clawed hand through her hair. Her eyes instantly became heavy, closing without her permission.

"Stay." She commanded drowsily, feeling more at ease as he took her hand, enveloping it in his own.

_Always,_ he replied, fingers stroking across soft skin. She smiled through her drowsiness, falling asleep at the feather-light touch of her mate as he drew lazy patterns across her glowing skin.

* * *

As always, reviewers get cookies, constructive critisism gets taken into account, and any and all flames will be used to cook my marshmellows.

~le freak


	14. In which Claudia blushes

Hey guys, I know majority of you want to strangle me for not updating more often, but I've just had no time to write, and when I have, my shoulder has been in so much pain that it's pretty much impossible. I'm going into hospital to see a specialist tomorrow, so hopefully something will get done to fix it. Thank you so much for your patience, everyone. I've said it before, but I'll say it again: I am not abandoning this story. It will be written.

Thank you to **_Ded-nvr-lvng-vmpr, Da-Deranged-Dude, Sharnorasian Empire, Some101, dufflepud, Nianque, Serfius, Pyromaniac275, Lost Blonde, nuttex, nemo, crazikido2, Hornet _**and **_IceCat69_** for reviewing. I'd like to take the time to make a special mention to **_He Who Tells The Truth_**: I quite enjoyed the flames, they melted my marshmellows quite nicely.

This chapter took an absolute age to write out, so I hope you enjoy it. I'm not sure when Chapter 15 will be out, but hopefully it won't take me another few months. Also, Starcraft 2 is amazing, but I nearly cried when I realised that it's just the Terran campiagn, and some of the missions were lifted straight off Starcraft One.

See Chapter One for the disclaimer.

* * *

Artanis stared impassively at the damage report given to him by one of his technicians, who was standing to the side, attentively waiting for orders. Scrolling through the report, waves of annoyance and agitation rolled off him. All Protoss in the area became highly aware of the young Praetor's demeanour as he lifted flashing eyes to the technician.

_You will gather all technicians and organise them into shifts. We must have all stations restored if we hope to be victorious in our next battle. You will organise with Captain Black these shifts, and report back to me once work has commenced,_ he told the technician flatly.

_It shall be... do-ne,_ the technician replied, trailing off as Artanis turned and stalked out of the room. His eyes shifted to Marcus, who merely shook his head, expression neutral.

"Don't ask." He muttered, trudging over to the front windows. He stared out towards the stars, studiously avoiding the others in the control room. The bewildered technician stared at the report for a moment before turning and exiting the room.

* * *

SEVERAL MONTHS LATER

Artanis stared out into the void of space, absently categorising the repair work that had been carried out. It had been a gruelling few months, and the Judicator had become impatient with their efforts, until Raynor reminded him that one carrier had taken out an entire platform.

His thoughts drifted to his Terran mate, Claudia. It had been almost three days since he last saw her, as her time was dedicated to overseeing repairs on the ship. His face pinched into a Protoss smile as he allowed the last image of her to surface.

She had been asleep, slumped over a desk where she had clearly been working. Her hands still held a screwdriver and a small chunk of metal that he could not identify. Her hair had fallen across her face, and her mouth was slightly open, drooling into the desk.

Curiously, he had gently probed her dreams, where she was working furiously on a ship that continuously fell apart. Eyes burning in displeasure, he had gently brushed back her hair, lightly stroking her cheek. Her dream swirled into colours, and arrived at the ocean, where she dropped to the sand, exhausted.

_Rest,_ Artanis thought to her, and what little tension there was in her body melted, and she finally lay limp, slumped over the desk.

Behind him, the sound of Terran boots jolted him from his memories. Turning around, he finally laid his eyes upon his mate.

She was dressed in the overalls that the Terran technicians wore, but they were filthy. Oil and dirt stained her overalls, her hands and face were several shades blacker than what they usually were, and her hair was a mess.

She came to a stop in front of him, and grinned tiredly.

"Repairs completed." She told the bridge, who murmured their appreciation. Artanis stared down at her, his alien face softening.

_You must wash and rest,_ he told her gently. She nodded, and yawned.

"A shower sounds fantastic right about now." She muttered, swinging around and trudging back the way she came. Artanis stared after her for a few moments, before turning to the technician at the communication controls.

_Establish a link to Zeratul and the _Mar Sara, he ordered. Almost immediately, two holographic images appeared, both looking somewhat surprised to see the Praetor.

_Repairs have been completed. The crew of the _Tassadar_ requires several days rest before we are able to begin an assault,_ Artanis began, eyes shifting between the two Commanders.

Raynor's face morphed into a grin. Zeratul nodded thoughtfully at the Praetor.

"_Outstanding."_ He declared. He quickly ducked out of sight, coming back with a sheet of paper.

"_We've detected a distress beacon off one of the outer rim planets. Sounds like the Zerg got a foothold there. Whaddya reckon we go test out our new toys?" _He asked, a grin quirking across his face.

Zeratul stared thoughtfully out from the hologram before nodding.

_My fleet will render assistance,_ he declared, before abruptly disconnecting from the link. Raynor made a face.

"_What's his problem?"_ he muttered, exasperatedly shaking his head. Artanis' face pinched into a Protoss smile.

_There are many things you must yet learn about the Protoss,_ he advised, before shutting off the link to his Terran friend.

For a few moments, the Praetor stood still on the deck, before turning abruptly and disappeared out the door with a barely audible _hiss_ from the door.

At one of the consoles, two Terran technicians carefully stole a look towards the doorway. One turned to the other, palm raised and an expectant look on his face.

"Told you he'd talk to them before going after her." He smirked, waggling his eyebrows. The second technician scowled, slapping a few credits into the other's hand.

"Shut up," he muttered, turning back to the console.

* * *

Artanis entered Claudia's quarters, expecting to find her either bathing or in the bed. Instead, he found her pulling on a fresh set of the cream overalls, slipping her feet into her filthy boots, hair damp.

He stared levelly at her, and she blushed. He could feel the guilt radiating off her.

"Beckendorf needs help in bay eight. Something about the hull." She explained, edging towards the door. His eyes glowed.

_One hour. Then you will rest,_ he told her, resisting the urge to copy the Terrans and fold his arms across his chest. Claudia nodded enthusiastically. He knew immediately that she would not keep to her word.

"If I'm not here in one hour, come find me." She told him, flashing one of her best smiles. He slowly dipped his head, glowing golden eyes following her form out the door.

An hour later, Artanis gave a mental sigh, and headed for bay eight. He found her surrounded by Terran and Protoss technicians alike, each looking serious and focusing their attention on the captain. As he came closer, they automatically moved aside for him until he came to a stop next to his mate.

"The hull is nearly breached in some places, so you'll be needing space suits to assess the damage." She instructed, before turning to another techie.

"Did we bring the suits with us, or do we need to contact the _Mar Sara_ again?"

"I'm pretty sure we still have some in one of the storerooms, but they need to be checked over." The techie replied, shooting a puzzled glance to Artanis as he casually and lightly touched the captain's cheek.

She blinked once, and suddenly she blushed, cheeks fiercely burning red. Blinking a few more times, she lightly batted away the clearly amused Praetor's hand, taking a deep breath.

"The rest of you, dismissed." She barked, watching as all but one walked out of the bay. Taking a deep breath, she turned back to the remaining techie.

"Alright. Go find those suits, and make sure that there's nothing wrong with them." Artanis lightly brushed his hand against her cheek again, causing her cheeks to burn again. She pushed his hand away more forcibly.

"Salvage what you can, and if we need to create a raiding party, I'll talk to the Commander and organise for anything you need." She continued, slightly out of breath. The techie nodded, glancing between the red-faced captain and the Praetor who radiated amusement.

"Dismissed." She said sharply, green eyes hardening. The techie automatically saluted her before walking out, feeling the captain's eyes on his back.

Once her subordinate was out of sight, she whirled to face her mate, and poked his stomach.

"What the hell was that?" She demanded, cheeks reddening. His head cocked to the side as he studied her face and erratic thought patterns.

_I believe it is what the Terrans call 'sharing my thoughts',_ he replied, looking rather smug. She blushed wildly again, and poked him again.

"Never again are you to do that when there are other people around." She hissed at him, anger mounting.

_When we are alone is acceptable, then?_ He murmured to her, eyes flashing in amusement, and something else that just flickered behind it all.

He stopped her dead in her tracks as he brushed his palm against her cheek. She blinked.

"Is that even possible?" She asked, raising her eyes to meet his. Artanis' eyes gently flashed.

_It is a valid hypothesis, one that we are capable of testing,_ he answered, drawing her closer to him.

She quirked her eyebrows, mind working overtime.

"Well, I have been up for nearly twenty hours." She admitted, casting her eyes downwards. The Praetor's eyes flashed as he wordlessly picked her up, cradling her gently.

_You strain yourself needlessly. You must rest,_ he told her, psionic voice expressionless. With that, he made for the door, long strides quickly covering the distance.

Claudia's eyes strayed shut as the swaying motion, combined with soothing thoughts and exhaustion slowly sent her to sleep.

Artanis glanced down at her, eyes softening as he realised that she had fallen asleep. He decided that she was, as the Terrans said, 'utterly adorable', with her mouth half hanging open, and limbs crossed against her chest as if to protect herself.

Reaching his quarters, he gently laid her down, pulling a blanket over her. After a few moments, he pulled off his armour and joined her.

* * *

As always, reviewers get cookies, constructive critisism gets taken into account, and any and all flames will be used to cook my marshmellows.

~le freak


	15. Paint specs

Hey all, finally another chapter. I swear that I'm trying as hard as I can to get these chapters out, but life has just been crazy, and I've barely stopped moving for the past 3 weeks. The shoulder's healing, and I've gotten most movement up to shoulder height back, so I'm really happy.

Anyway! I had a little bit of fun at the start of the chapter, but it gets back into the plot (finally). Just quickly, Nianque, I've taken a bit of creative licence and made Raynor's ship the _Mar Sara_ instead of the _Hyperion_. Hope that clears things up for you.

Thank you to **_Sharnorasian Empire, Some101, Nianque, BlakDawn, Pyromaniac275, Ded-nvr-lvng-vmpr, clooney _**and **_brainfear _**for reviewing, and I remind you all that reviews are like crack to writers, and I'm an addict.

See Chapter One for disclaimer, and enjoy!

* * *

Claudia yawned, bleary green eyes blinking slowly. Artanis' face swum into focus as he hovered over her, golden eyes flashing contently. She smiled at him, closing her eyes for a moment.

"Hey." She whispered, her slender hand reaching for his face. His eyes shone a brilliant gold as she transferred her thoughts to him. His face pinched into a Protoss smile as he lifted a clawed hand to gently brush her dark hair out of her face. Her eyes floated shut as she took in his pleasure of seeing her again. She smiled lazily.

"I have a feeling we're not going to be able to sleep in today." She murmured, quickly flashing her mind over what still needed to be done. A small wave of discontent rolled over the captain, and she glanced up at the Praetor.

_We will not. Zeratul and Raynor have boarded. They await us on the bridge,_ he told her impartially, face slowly growing stony. Claudia sighed.

"Well, it was fun while it lasted." She muttered, detangling herself from the dark blue sheets. Artanis followed suit, albeit far more gracefully. Turning to face him, her cheeks turned a dull red as she realised that the robes the Praetor usually wore when not in battle were hanging over the chair. All she could see was grey skin, lean from decades of fighting.

Before she could stop herself, her eyes travelled down. She blinked, and her eyes widened. Forcing herself to look up, her eyes caught his as he gave her a knowing look. She blushed fiercely, turning back to pull on her overalls.

"We really shouldn't keep them waiting." Her voice quavered, keeping her eyes firmly on the pale blue wall.

_As you wish,_ Artanis replied, soundlessly opening the door. He stared expressionlessly at her for a moment before disappearing out into the corridor. Taking a deep breath, the Captain followed him, eyes sliding along the pale blue walls. _I'm kinda sick of pale blue,_ she thought absently, before allowing her mind to settle on what little needed to be fixed before they were able to begin on merging or creating new technologies.

* * *

Her mind was speculating on using photon cannons with tank fire as they reached the bridge, passively nodding at the odd pair.

"I like what you've done with the place." Raynor commented, the corner of his mouth twitching upwards. The Captain rolled her eyes, making a dismissive gesture.

"You haven't even seen the workshops yet, so save the excitement for then." She retorted, a grin spreading over her features.

_Report your progress,_ Zeratul intoned, eyes firmly fixed on Artanis.

_The Captain is more capable of informing you than I, _ the young Praetor responded, staring back at the ancient warrior.

Reluctantly, Zeratul turned to Claudia, who gave him a strained smile.

"There are very few repairs to complete, which is purely a few damaged panels on the outside of the ship. There should be some of my guys out there now fixing or replacing them. The scrap metal can be melted down and made into ammunition or weapons." She reported, scooping up a tablet computer, quickly scrolling through it.

"The medical team have made a few interesting discoveries, but they're still in the experimental stage, so you'd have to ask Kara and her counterpart on that." She paused again, tapping on the screen a few times.

"The weapons upgrade project has been very effective, as seen by our Valkyries, however, I have here a report... Looks like they're going to try and get them to be able to land and fight." Her eyebrows creased as she frowned, eyes scanning through the report. Raynor raised an eyebrow.

"That'll never work." Raynor commented, shifting his weight from one foot to the other.

"Let them try, and they might surprise you, Commander." The Captain responded, glancing up from the computer.

"I've also received a request to look at modifying the Dragoon shell, make them higher off the ground and change the firing system. They were looking at incorporating tank fire into the design." She stopped, scrolling through the rest of the reports.

_Perhaps you could send copies of the reports to both Zeratul and Raynor for their perusal,_ Artanis suggested, glancing down at the Captain.

"Sure. Headed your way... now." She replied, and glanced up from the computer.

"Sounds like you've got things under control here." Raynor said mildly, rubbing a hand through his hair.

"Well, the technology's exciting, so everyone's keen to work on it. And on another note, I think we need more marines. Mainly to babysit my guys, but that science officer is giving me the creeps, and he keeps disappearing." She frowned, crossing her arms.

_You wish for your science officer to be escorted at all times?_ Zeratul asked, clearly sceptical. Claudia sighed.

"I know how it sounds, but I'm not sure that I can trust him." She ran a hand through her hair in frustration.

"Alright. I'll send over some more troops." Raynor shrugged.

"Now, we both want to see what you lot have been doin' here, but I need coffee first. Too damn early to be thinkin'." He shifted his weight, taking another look around the bridge.

"Sure thing, Commander." The captain smiled, gesturing to the door.

* * *

Raynor slurped his coffee as they walked into one of the main labs. It had been converted from a hangar, so the ceiling was far above them, although obscured by several other levels of criss-crossing multi-coloured platforms and walkways. The level above them was a soft forest green, and both Zeratul and Raynor eyed it in clear confusion.

On majority of the main platforms, several scientists and technicians, both Terran and Protoss, were clustered around benches or shells of ships. One platform, painted ruby red, held a dismantled photon cannon, and two Protoss technicians were arguing over components.

The converted lab echoed around them as they took in the smell of oil, fuel and scorched metal. Raynor whistled.

"Nice." He commented, slowly eyeing his colourful surroundings.

_Why are the platforms different colours?_ Zeratul asked, forehead creasing as he frowned. A small wave of amusement washed over the group, courtesy of Artanis.

_The Terrans believed that they were entitled to paint their platforms in accordance to what they were working with,_ the Praetor replied, nodding to a technician who waved in their direction. Claudia grinned.

"The boys were sick of grey, and they couldn't decide on what colour it should be, so they teamed up and went crazy with whatever they could make up." She elaborated, earning a chuckle from Raynor.

"We're doing a lot of stuff in here, so feel free to have a wander around. Every single project that's happening in here has been logged to your personal accounts on your ships. There are some projects that are in the process of approval, which I'll send over to you as soon as I've looked them over." She glanced at the platforms above them, and smiled.

_You are proud of your team,_ Zeratul observed, golden eyes flashing mutely as he slowly took in the multiple levels.

"Of course I am." The captain replied quietly.

_The technicians are creating together what we separately believed was impossible, _Artanis added, clasping his clawed hands behind his back.

_Yes, we are proud,_ he said, calm eyes watching the concentration on the technician's face closest to them. Raynor nodded sagely, and slurped at his coffee again. The closest technician glanced up, doing a double-take as he noticed the four standing only metres from where he was working.

"Let's go before they smell your coffee and start mobbing us." Claudia advised, glancing at the technician. Zeratul's brow creased in confusion.

_Coffee appears to be an addictive substance that allows Terrans to stay awake much later than their bodies intended, _ Artanis privately commented to Zeratul, who inclined his head at the young Praetor.

Raynor glanced down at his stomach as it rumbled, then turned back to the captain, who was suppressing a grin.

"Food time." He announced, completely unashamed.

_Praetor Artanis and I will convene to the bridge. Meet us there when you finish your meal,_ Zeratul commanded. The Prelate took one more look around the bizarrely coloured multi-level lab before turning heel and making his way out of the converted hangar.

Artanis locked eyes with Claudia for a moment, his gaze making her breath catch before he turned and followed Zeratul.

Claudia blinked a few times, staring at the doorway where the Praetor disappeared. Raynor raised an eyebrow at her, and finished off the rest of his coffee.

"Captain?" He prodded at her arm, and immediately she turned to him, shaking herself out of her stupor.

"Alright, let's get to the mess." She replied absently, striding towards the exit.

* * *

Five minutes later, they slid into chairs, each with a sandwich and a fresh cup of coffee.

"Talk to me about this science officer." Raynor commanded, eyeing his sandwich hungrily. Claudia paused to chew, her mouth already full with lettuce and carrot. Swallowing, she moved her hands around as she began to talk.

"He's intimidating the crew. Even the Protoss don't like him. He's shielded from them because he's slightly psychic himself, and he's using the information he's gleaning off my guys to make them real uncomfortable." She paused to take another bite, frowning at her sandwich.

"He's been hanging around the colour lab recently, so work's slowed down a fair bit. Sometimes he disappears for a few hours, and he's generally not in his quarters. We've caught a few transmissions coming from the ship, but they've had no destination, so I don't even know who he's working with." She exasperatedly bit into her sandwich again, glaring openly at the uniformly grey wall. Raynor frowned.

"What's been in the transmissions?" He asked, devouring half of his sandwich in one bite.

"Everything. What we're doing here, our position, our weaknesses, and what to avoid. It's driving me crazy, because I can't figure out who's sending them, or who they're sending them to. We've been lucky, because we've been able to catch the transmissions so far, but I'm worried that whoever it is isn't actually sending them to anyone in particular." She glared down at her plate, taking another vicious bite out of her sandwich.

"As in they're getting sent out there and anyone can pick 'em up?" Raynor asked, looking slightly alarmed. Claudia nodded grimly.

Raynor leaned back in his chair, ran a hand through his hair and swore softly.

"Who are you trusting?" He asked, leaning back in.

"Right now? Myself, Kara, Marcus, Artanis and you." The captain replied, casting worried green eyes over the mess hall. There were few people in the mess, and the conversation was soft. The cook lurked behind the large stack of clean plates, absently waiting for the breakfast crowd to clear so he could begin washing is preparation for lunch.

"Let's get up to the bridge and talk to the others. They should know about this." Raynor decided, standing up. After a moment's consideration, he swiped up his coffee mug. Wearily, Claudia followed suit.

"Artanis already knows. He's trying to keep an eye on the officer's mental signature, but apparently he's like a bad radio signal. Keeps dropping in and out." Claudia shook her head.

"We have a traitor on board." She stared grimly at Raynor, who nodded seriously.

"Let's get to the bridge."

"Aye, Commander."

* * *

As always, reviewers get cookies, constructive critisism gets taken into account, and any and all flames will be used to cook my marshmellows.

~le freak


	16. Chapter 16

Hi all, and apologies for taking so long to get this chapter out. However, it was an absolute bitch to write, and my internet was down for a good few weeks, and it's only recently been working again. Damn wireless. In other good news, my shoulder's pretty much healed, but I still can't pick up anything more than about 2 kilos.

Anywho, I'd like to thank _**Nuttex, Nianque, brainfear, Some101, clooney, Nedi, Rhavis, Archon of Darkness, Sharnorasian Empire, deathbypickle **_and _**Kekkaishi no Tsuki**_ for reviewing (and telling me to get the buggery on with the storytelling)

I promise my more... lemon-inclined readers that there will be smut, and yes, the whole reason I started this story was so I could write some decent Protoss/Terran smut, because I couldn't find much online.

Disclaimer's in Chapter One, and happy reading!

* * *

Raynor rounded the corner towards the bridge, Claudia tailing behind him, deep in thought. They approached Zeratul and Artanis who were deep in private conversation as they stared sightlessly into space.

Claudia's eyes were immediately wandered to Artanis, and a small smile crept over her face as he visibly relaxed. Breaking off from their conversation, two sets of alien eyes assessed the Captain, and then the Commander.

_You have told him,_ Artanis said quietly, his psi energy becoming slightly agitated. Claudia nodded wordlessly, stepping closer to the young Praetor. Zeratul's eyes flashed in suppressed irritation before turning to the Commander.

_What do you propose to do about this breach?_ He asked, turning back to the blackness of space.

"The Captain and I had a talk about that. There'll be more troops on the ship, and we need one of your guys who isn't doin' much." Raynor replied, glancing around the bridge.

Artanis and Zeratul locked eyes for a moment, privately communicating. The two Terrans waited patiently until Artanis turned to them.

_All here are loyal. There are a few we can spare for your task, Captain,_ His eyes flashed softly, and she blushed. Raynor raised an eyebrow at his Captain.

"You two done flirting?" He inquired, crossing his arms.

"Commander? Shut up." Claudia muttered, clearly embarrassed.

_My ship is preparing to do a reconnaissance mission to a nearby planet to find resources. I will inform you of any reports, _Zeratul announced, clearly looking for a way off the ship. The trio watched him go, the doors to the bridge hissing shut behind him.

"Y'know, I think you two creep him out." Raynor remarked casually, ignoring the Captain's scoff.

_I believe you are correct, Raynor,_ Artanis replied thoughtfully. A small wave of amusement rolled out from the Praetor, causing a few technicians to glance up from their work. A hard glare from the Captain, and both Terran and Protoss technicians suddenly found something important to work on.

Suppressing a smirk, Raynor casually glanced around the bridge. His eyes finally rested on the void of space, kept only at bay by a sheet of thick plexi-glass.

"I'll ship over some of my boys as soon as I get back to the _Mar Sara_. You two sit tight and keep workin' on that stuff you got in the colour lab. I'll make contact when we hear something about the critters." He cracked his neck before turning to Artanis and Claudia.

"Yes sir." The Captain hesitated.

"What?"

"Kerrigan?"

"What about her?"

"She controls the Swarm. Are you still trying to find her?" There was a pause as Raynor absorbed the full meaning of the loaded question. He stared steadily at the Captain, and she stiffened, hands straying behind her back.

"Yes." He replied simply, before abruptly turning and stalking out the door.

* * *

Claudia huffed as she unsuccessfully tried to prise a panel out of a dragoon shell. Wiping filthy hands on her overalls, she turned to a Protoss technician who was clearly broadcasting his amusement.

"It's stuck, and I can't pull it out." She explained irritably, dropping her screwdriver onto the sky blue platform. In an instant, the Protoss kneeled and wedged it out using his sharpened claws. He turned to regard her for a moment.

_It is not only warriors who keep their tools sharpened,_ he told her, standing back up. She flushed in disbelief, but was saved the necessity of a reply as they both felt the ripple of irritation and uneasiness coming from the Protoss technicians near the ground of the colour lab.

Peeking over the edge, she saw through the forest green railings the science officer slowly walking, glancing up at the projects. His eyes caught hers for a moment, and he shot her a look of shrewd understanding.

She blinked, heart rate elevated due a surge of adrenaline. The science officer turned on his heel and marched out of the colour lab, a Protoss quietly slipping away from his task to tail him.

_Are you in distress?_ The Protoss technician asked, leaning down to peer at her face.

"I'm fine." She replied shortly, eyes drifting closed for a moment to compose herself. _He knows that I've ordered him to be tailed,_ she thought as she began pulling select wires from the inside of the panel.

_He knows what we suspect him of._ She frowned as several wires somehow tangled themselves as they lead deeper into the shell.

_He knows that he's smart enough to get away with it for now._ Deft fingers untangled the wires, finally finding the central control panel for the shell. Gently, she untangled it from its position and detached it, pulling it out of the shell completely.

_He knows that we'll catch him eventually. If not now, then soon, just a little further down the track._ Her mouth curved up into a smile as she found what she was looking for within the codes. Her hand clenched around the central control for a moment, imagining how she would feel once the treachery was confirmed.

Far above on the burnt orange deck, another pair of eyes peered through the different levels, having seen the exchange between the Captain and the Science Officer. He smirked, knowing that, at least for a while, no suspicion would fall on him.

* * *

Raynor scowled as he stared at the light grey wall of his quarters, replaying his last conversation with the Captain in his head. That she had the gall to ask if he was going after Kerrigan was unbelievable. However, the Captain's tone of voice was fairly neutral, even though the question was loaded with various connotations.

Restlessly getting up and pacing the length of the room, he mulled over how she had asked the question. Had she been asking if he was going after her to kill her? There was no other way to greatly reduce the Zerg from their current numbers. Without the Overmind or Kerrigan, the Cerebrates would go rogue and attack one another, which could lead to either a new Overmind or the death of the Zerg.

Another way the question could be interpreted implied that he would go after Kerrigan to try and save her from what she had become.

He shook his head empathically. There was no way that he could do that. Kerrigan had said herself that she enjoyed being the 'Queen of Blades'. However...

Raynor stopped pacing, and sunk down onto his bed. Wasn't there _some_ part of him that wanted that cute red-haired psychic back? If there was a way that he could somehow untwist the damage the Overmind had done to her brain and body, wouldn't he?

Wasn't there some part of her that wanted to be human again? To throw away the power, to shake off the viciousness that clouded who she really was?

He shook his head again, this time more slowly. He wanted to believe that the real Kerrigan was hiding underneath the overbearing personality of the Queen of Blades, but unless he could somehow find evidence of his friend, the Queen of Blades had to go.

He sighed, sinking back into the mattress. He drew a hand over his face, suddenly looking years older. _I'll worry about it tomorrow,_ he decided, closing heavy eyelids. Within minutes, the sound of light snoring filled the room.

* * *

Artanis was startled out of his meditation as a small figure slipped into the dark room. In less than a second, he identified his mate's brain pattern, and settled back down.

_It is well into the sleep cycle,_ he observed, eyes flashing softly. He felt rather than saw her frown.

"I was kinda hoping that you wouldn't notice." Claudia muttered, unzipping her overalls. He watched with increasing amusement as she threw the soiled pair into the far corner of the room and clambered into the bed with him, letting out a breathy sigh at the real cotton sheets. Her mind wandered for a moment, remembering the stiff and itchy cotton-substitute that made up the linen in the _Mar Sara_.

_Sleep. Tomorrow we prepare for a ground assault,_ Artanis gently touched her face with a clawed finger.

"Heard about that. We've got a few things that we can mass-produce if we can build a factory, or even warp them in if we're able to find a safe place to build them." Claudia yawned, and curled up underneath the sheets, eyes closing almost against her will.

* * *

THE NEXT DAY

Zeratul studied the holographic map of the world his ship was stationed in orbit over. The Zerg had infested over half of it, and patrolled the rest, save a few of the most remote areas that could only be accessed by ship.

It would only be a matter of time, he summarised, that they too would be patrolled. Turning sharply to his companions, he wordlessly pointed out the two most suitable spots.

_Divide and conquer,_ Artanis mused, eyes flashing in anticipation. Raynor nodded approvingly.

"We'll take the south plateau and build up some of the new units. Wish we had upgraded the capacity in the dropships." He remarked, reflexively crossing his arms.

"I'll take that into consideration, Commander. Need me with you guys?" The Captain asked, green eyes darting to the only other Terran in the room.

"Yeah. Just in case things go wrong." Raynor sighed. Zeratul glanced at Artanis, who nodded.

_We will take the northern plateau. If we both attack together, then we will force the Zerg to fight on two fronts. We will be able to overtake their advantage,_ the young Praetor injected, psi energy increasing with his determination.

_It shall be done,_ Zeratul declared, and the holograph disappeared.

"We need to move fast." Claudia said quietly. Raynor turned to look at her.

"Prepare the dropships."

"Aye, Commander."

* * *

Just for _**Some101**_, reviewers now have the option of roast potatos and marshmellows instead of cookies. Please review!

~le freak


	17. Infiltration

Hey all, it's been nearly two months since I last posted a chapter... I know, I'm sorry, but there has been many things going on, and most of them are very distracting. Like ideas for more stories, and planning my 21st birthday. Yes, you read that right, I'll be 21 soon.

Firstly, I'd like to say that I haven't renounced writing a smut chapter (it just hasn't been written yet and I've got to figure out the anatomy differences), and secondly, half of this chapter was written with a dog trying to pull my sock off so he could play with it, so hopefully it turned out alright.

_Halls_ has recieved just over 100 reviews, so yay! Thank you everyone who has reviewed, and please don't stop now! Ahem. Thank you to everyone who has read and silently supported this story from Chapter One... (would it really kill you to leave a review? Even if it's anonymous?) And a very big thank you to those people who have reviewed lately! Namely _**Nianque, Some101, deathbypickle, Fallen121 **_and _**TheDesertMan**_ who reviewed for chapter 16.

See Chapter One for the disclaimer, and enjoy!

* * *

A lone creature started as it heard a curious humming sound, coming from high above. The creature unconsciously bared its teeth, dark fur and hackles rising as it crouched down as if to attack whatever was making the noise. The sound was nothing like the other things that had come from the sky; the things that had come and killed his pack.

The cool wind rustled through the desolate scrub as the creature soundlessly slunk underneath the nearest bush in the wasteland that it considered its territory. Yellow eyes watched the curious grey shapes as they slowed, reaching the plateau high above.

He watched, keen eyes not comprehending that the planet he considered home was about to be turned into a warzone. Soundlessly, he slunk away, determined to lose himself in the scrub wasteland before the newcomers could find him.

* * *

Claudia stared north across the barren landscape, the cool wind sweeping her dark hair across her face. She hoped that the Protoss settlement would be able to defend itself when the Zerg stumbled across them. Right now, she had bigger problems.

"Get that factory built!" She yelled into the commlink, glaring at a few SCV's who were taking a break.

"Right away, sir... uh, ma'am." One of the SCV's replied nervously, and all three began furiously working on building.

Glancing across the plateau to where the Command Centre had been built, she spied Raynor talking to a Ghost. She shuddered, quickly diverting her eyes, but the ghost had sensed it, and the blank mask had turned in her direction. Furious with herself for letting her disgust and fear be known to the ghost, she abruptly turned heel and supervised the building of the factory. Hopefully, the prototype all-terrain assault vehicle would function effectively enough to be turned into full-scale production.

She glanced around, the wind whipping her hair across her face. She forcefully tucked it behind her ear, glancing towards the Command Centre again. The ghost had gone, and she couldn't help but sigh in relief.

Making her way over to the Command Centre, she had noted that the wind had picked up, and ominous clouds crowded the horizon.

She bounded her way up the stairs towards the meteorological room, which was a bundle of activity.

"Any news on what kind of weather we're facing?" She asked, not bothering to identify herself. A technician glanced at her, then back to the screen.

"Bad storm's coming. Probably lightning, which is more likely to hit us on this plateau. We picked a bad day for settling in." He commented, barely heard over the noise of the room. Manoeuvring behind the technician, the Captain squinted at the screen, watching the whirlwind of weather move closer to their base.

"Just peachy." She muttered, smacking the back of the chair lightly. She turned heel and made her way out of the room, sidestepping expensive equipment and fast-moving people. Finally making her way out of the mess of a room, she made a mental note to ask Raynor for a bigger meteorological room aboard Command Centres.

Turning a corner, she ran into Perkins, who staggered back a few steps, bringing a hand up between them. The older technician looked frazzled, wind-blown dark hair beginning to give way to silver. His pale blue coat had turned somewhat grey, as if the dust and grime of everyday wear had taken its toll, and his eyes were wide, pupils dilated.

"Perkins, what the hell are you doing here? You're supposed to be in the barracks checking weapons." She searched his face and appearance, noting the deep lines that cut into his features.

"Are you okay?" She asked, concerned. He cleared his throat and stood straighter, finally looking the Captain in the eye.

"Yes, I'm fine, I just needed to run by the meteorological room. That storm looks very threatening out there." He replied, somewhat in a huff.

"I've just come from there. They say a storm's coming, a big one. Make sure that the outbuildings have their lightning rods in place. It'll hit us head on, and we need to have finished building by the time it does. Go!" Claudia watched as her second in command scurried away, a frown making its way across her features. _Perhaps I've been working him too hard,_ she mused, before dismissing the thought. They had worked under more stressful situations before, and it had never been an issue. _I'll have to keep an eye on him,_ she concluded.

She continued on her way towards the main office, intent on warning Raynor about the impending storm. Perhaps they could ask some marines to help with the heavy lifting, so they could complete the buildings before the storm hit.

* * *

Marcus glared at the storm clouds as they became darker. The distinct _plink_ of rain on metal started, and all around him, the frenzy of activity picked up. All possible SCV's were working frantically to finish the buildings before the storm hit, and he had just received the order to help with the heavy lifting.

Yelling orders over the commlink at the marines, he lifted a piece of thick metal sheeting, intent on welding it over fragile wiring and piping on the outside of the barracks. Slapping it into place, he frowned as Perkins caught the corner of his eye. The scientist was wandering around aimlessly, completely absorbed in a tablet computer, ignoring the raindrops falling onto the screen.

"Thompson, weld this into place." Marcus ordered, waiting only until the other marine had grasped it before letting go and stalking over to the scientist. Behind him, Thompson swore as the metal sheeting slipped from his fingers, hard eyes glaring up at his CO.

The weathered marine came up behind the scientist, howling wind and rain masking his approach. Plucking the computer from between the scientist's fingers, Marcus raised an eyebrow in amusement as Perkins stared incomprehensively at his empty hands for a moment before whirling around.

"Give it back, marine." He growled, faint desperation flitting across his face.

"I thought you were supposed to be checking the lightning rods on the outbuildings, _scientist_." Marcus replied, tone quietly threatening. He had seen the desperate look cross the scientist's face, and he wondered what the scientist was doing to garner such a response. Perkins visibly flinched.

"Well, I need that computer to check the relays, so you may as well hand it over." He blustered, drawing himself up to his full height, which was laughable next to the marine in his power suit.

"You'll find another." Marcus growled. Turning towards the Command Centre, he was not surprised when Perkins came after him.

"That is my _personal _computer! You can't just walk away with it!" The scientist yelled, all but waving his arms or tearing at his hair in frustration.

Ignoring the shorter man as he would a particularly annoying fly, the marine reached the ramp into the Command Centre. Glancing around, he saw Perkins standing in the rain a few metres away, mud swirling around his standard issue boots. The scientist looked utterly defeated before turning around and trudging away, shoulders slumped as he disappeared into the chaos of workers building as many structures as they could before the storm.

"Thompson, keep an eye on a scientist for me. Dark hair going silver, light coat, looks like someone killed his cat. Make sure he doesn't do anything stupid." Marcus ordered through the commlink.

"_What's he done?"_

"Don't know yet. Make sure he doesn't get to any communication stations."

"_Yessir!" _Marcus nodded grimly. Whatever Perkins was doing, Raynor should be informed. Turning back to the Command Centre, he moved quickly through the throng of people moving in and out, and bounded up the stairs towards Raynor's office, tablet computer still in hand.

* * *

Raynor glared at the reports that were coming in from all over the hastily-erected base. The weather was getting worse, and some of the not-quite-finished structures were suffering damage due to the high winds and the rain.

"Alright, seal it up as best as you can and get under cover! Storm looks nasty out there." He ordered into his commlink. A chorus of '_Yessir_'s was heard over the radio, majority sounding relieved.

He stood to look out the tiny window that offered him an impressive view of the Terran base. He frowned as visibility slowly cut to a minimum, the sleeting rain covering the turrents that couldn't even work in such weather. The missiles would be blown off course. Of course, nothing else would be out flying, either.

The corner of his mouth quirked up into a half grin before he turned back to the desk, hoping to come across some good news for a change. Before he could sit back at the well-used desk _why are they always grey, damnit,_ the door slid open, and a very wet marine stepped through the door clutching a tablet computer.

"Marcus." Raynor lazily lifted a hand to acknowledge the marine as he settled into the brown chair behind the desk.

"Raynor, I got the personal computer of Perkins here. He was doing something with it, and he didn't want to give it up. He was real desperate to get it back, wouldn't take no for an answer." Marcus explained, passing the computer over the desk.

Quirking an eyebrow, the Commander took it and pulled up the last program. His eyes widened, and a deluge of swearing poured from his suddenly cold lips.

"What was he working on, sir?" Marcus asked, curiosity beating out his military training.

Raynor glanced up at him, then back down to the computer.

"Did you put someone on Perkins?" He asked, surprising the marine with his intense stare.

"Yeah, Thompson's watching him. I told him not to let him get near communication stations." Marcus reported, watching as relief washed over the Commander's face.

"Good." Raynor sighed, suddenly looking years older as he swept a hand across his face.

"Sir? What was Perkins doing?" Marcus asked again, a cold feeling settling into his stomach. Raynor stared up at the marine, then finally turned the computer around for him to see.

"He was about to transmit our coordinates into common open channels across the spectrum." The Commander replied heavily. There was silence for a minute before Marcus touched his commlink.

"Thompson, come in, over." He said into the miniature microphone in his helmet. His only response was static.

"The storm must have knocked out communications. We're sitting ducks here." Marcus growled, craning his neck to get a view of the base through the tiny window.

"Find Perkins, bring him back here. Try anything that has a large communication relay that could get through the storm." Raynor ordered, eyes hard as he glared at the computer.

"That's the Academy, the Spaceport and here. Maybe the science vessel." Marcus reeled off. Raynor rounded on him.

"I'll take the Command Centre, now go!" The Commander growled, dark eyes flashing as he ordered the marine, who disappeared out the door, heavy boots slapping against the metal floor of the corridor as he ran for the exit.

* * *

Reviews are as addictive as crack, so please keep feeding this author reviews!

~le freak


	18. Betrayal

Holy crap, two chapters in a week! I got really excited afted I finished the last chapter, and decided that I couldn't wait to write this one. And it flowed out as easily as water. I love it when stories do that to me. This is partially a present, and partially an apology; I start uni again tomorrow (three day weekend!) and it may be a while before I (write) post another chapter. So please, be patient and remember that I've promised that I'll be finishing this story (even with no end in sight).

Thanks be to my latest reviewers, _**BlakDawn**_ (you really don't need to pull a gauss rifle on me, I'm trying, damnit), _**Fallen121, Some101**_ (yes, yes it is), _**Sharnorasian Empire, TheDesert****Man**_ and _**Erailea ****Evenstar **_(I'm guessing they have better medical technology than us, hence the quick recovery)

Disclaimer's in Chapter One, so read and enjoy!

* * *

Claudia swore under her breath as her commlink only produced static. Glancing around the factory floor she was on, she summarised that the storm had probably knocked out the communication system. The Command Centre would be her best choice, but it was too far away, and the wind outside could nearly sweep a person off their feet.

_The spaceport's closer,_ she thought to herself, visualising way towards the control tower. The spaceport had been one of the first buildings to go up, and would probably only be sheltering a few personnel. Mind made up, the Captain weaved through the throngs of people to get to a small hatch to slip through.

"Ma'am, I don't think you should be heading out there." A firebat warned her, shaking his head. She glanced at him, and the singed hair that was plastered to his head.

"I need to get in communication with Command. The only way that's happening is if I get to the spaceport's control tower." She replied, motioning people away from the hatch.

"Then I guess I'll be coming with you." The firebat decided, opening the hatch for her. Immediately, howling wind and rain splattered into the factory. The firebat jumped out, and appeared to sway in the wind. He motioned for the Captain to jump through, and she followed him.

Only the firebat's armour kept her from being swept away, and she was suddenly glad for his decision to escort her. Clutching onto his arm and squinting into the rain, the pair slowly made their way to the spaceport. The control tower loomed over them, dark and silent.

Finally, after walking the length of the short runway, the firebat wrenched the closest door open and pushed Claudia inside. The door closed, and the rain and wind died out.

"What's your name?" She asked, wiping her drenched hair out of her eyes. He gave her a clumsy salute and smiled at her.

"Sergeant Thompson. My brother's in with the marines." He added unnecessarily. She smiled at him.

"Captain Black. I think I know your brother. Thank you for getting me here." She looked around, trying to orient herself.

"No problem, ma'am."

"Let's find the communication relay station, huh?" With that, she made her way through the dimness of the tower, finding that the stairs had been only hastily poured and uneven. Boots thumping loudly with each step, Thompson followed her to the top.

* * *

Artanis stared out at the sleeting rain from inside the gateway. They had only just finished constructing it before the storm struck their base. Behind him, Fenix shifted restlessly in his new shell, clearly wanting to test it out, preferably on the Zerg.

_Are you experiencing any difficulty with the new shell?_ Artanis asked, turning to face his fellow Praetor. Fenix paused, turning his optics towards Artanis.

_No, although it is very different. Better, I believe, _He remarked, twitching forward ever so slightly.

_How?_ Artanis asked, clearly intrigued.

_The mechanics have been greatly improved. The old shell feels clumsy compared to this. I must personally thank the Terran Captain for designing it,_ Fenix replied, stretching out one of the legs of the walker.

_Any who walk with that shell can no longer be called Dragoon,_ Artanis mused, eyes flashing in thoughtfulness. Fenix paused again and turned his optics towards the young Praetor.

_Then what are we?_

_Of that, Fenix, I am unsure. _

_

* * *

_

Perkins ran a shaking hand through sopping wet hair at the communications station in the Spaceport Control Tower. The only nearby signal he had managed to find, encrypted or otherwise, were the Raiders. He had no doubt that the Zerg were listening to the open channels, but he preferred not to be devoured by hungry, vicious beasts. Even if they were controlled by the Queen of Blades. _Especially_ if they were controlled by the Queen of Blades.

He shook the thoughts out of his head, and strained the relay to cover another few thousand kilometres of space. _There!_ He thought in excitement, tapping on the consol. The relay had found little more than a satellite, but it would be capable of extending his reach to other Terran worlds, hopefully those that the Zerg had not yet destroyed.

In his excitement, he missed a door open and slam closed well below him. Lost in his thoughts, he rushed through everything he wanted to say, then revised it to what he _should_ say, especially over the open channel.

He grinned gleefully. The Raiders, even Mengsk never knew what they stole from him the day they had forced him away from the Confederacy ghost program. His mind stuttered to a halt as he finally registered what he should have several minutes ago. There were footsteps in the stairwell.

His grin faded, and he turned to look at the lone marine that he had killed once he realised that he was being followed. The scientist had casually lifted a handgun from some unsuspecting marine, and tucked it under his pale blue coat that was starting to look like it had seen better days. He had continued on his way into the tower, and ran as lightly as he could up the stairs, chest heaving as he reached the top.

When he had seen the marine enter after him, gauss rifle hanging limply in his hands, Perkins had risen from his hiding place and shot him in the head twice. He had refused to take any chances with the marine, preferring to kill him outright.

Perkins then glanced at the handgun, which was sitting on the desk. Looking back towards the screen, he stopped his typing, and picked up the handgun, creeping over to where he had hid before.

Listening carefully, he heard two sets of steps. One, which was easy to distinguish, was clearly a marine or some other heavily armoured combatant. The other was much more elusive; soft steps, heavy breathing. Someone not wearing armour. After he took care of the combatant, he would turn on the other. He stared at the doorway, waiting for them to appear.

Finally, what he instantly distinguished as a firebat came through the doorway, visor on his helmet up. The firebat took two steps into the room, and instantly focused on the marine on the floor.

"Brother?" The firebat whispered, hand clutching onto a nearby desk to support himself. Perkins could see the disbelief and rage emerge on the firebat's face, and decided to end his grief for him. He popped up from his hiding place, and before the firebat could do anything more than look at him, Perkins shot him in the face.

* * *

Claudia gasped as she took in what was happening. Perkins, eyes hard and bitter as he squeezed the trigger; the firebat gracefully falling backwards, back arched, head colliding with the ground next to the body of a marine. His brother.

Her eyes snapped back towards her subordinate as he levelled the gun at her. Her mouth went dry as she took in his face; eyes still hard, but his lips had been twisted in parody of a smile. Her knees threatened to give out on her, but she locked the joints and refused to give in.

"What have you done?" She whispered, barely audible over the storm that was still raging outside. He laughed, but it was not in amusement. The sound was harsh, like pulling rusty metal apart.

"What have I done?" He asked, mocking her. His smile became terrible, and he laughed again. Claudia had to force herself not to wince at the sound.

"I think the _question_, _Captain_, is more what have _you_ done! Shall I start from the beginning?" He yelled at her suddenly, making her flinch. His tone was like acid, and it bit into her.

"How about when you pulled me away from the ghost program, pulling me onto that ship after you had some grunt pull a _gun_ on me! I _enjoyed_ what I was doing there! I _enjoyed_ leading my own team, having resources purely for myself, and not having to ask for _permission_ to do anything!" He ranted at her, waving the gun around. Her eyes darted to the side for just a second, trying to find if he had taken the gauss rifle off the marine's corpse. He hadn't. Her chance of surviving the confrontation rose as slightly as her hope.

"And then they put me to work under _you._ _You_ who had been at the program for less than two years! You were only a junior technician! Someone straight out of school who wasn't even able to access the majority of the projects! And then you turned me into an _outlaw! _Me who had been at the program for ten years!" He screamed, eyes wide with rage, spittle flying from his lips. He turned the gun on her once more, and she gulped, trying not to do anything to aggravate him any more than he already was. Then sense, in part, came back to him, and he lowered the gun, staring at her in consideration.

"No, I don't think I'll kill you. Not just yet. I'll do what you did to me. I'll abduct you and force you to work for the side whose cause you don't even know!" He growled at her.

He jerked his head towards the ground in front of a consol that was in his line of sight.

"_Sit._" He snarled, turning back to the communications relay. Claudia took that moment to make her move. She dove towards the bodies of the brothers, yanking the gauss rifle from between the hands of the marine. She pumped the shotgun part, and wildly shot towards her (former) second in command. The shot missed him, but hit vital wiring for the communication relay.

Perkins stared at the dead screen for a moment before turning around to face the Captain, a murderous glare spreading across his normally bland features.

"_That_ was a _very_ stupid move, _Black_." He growled, handgun already whipping around. She dived behind a consol as he shot at her, nearly dropping the rifle in her haste.

"Do you want to know why I suggested bringing you along all those years ago?" Claudia yelled over the noise of gunfire. Perkins stopped shooting, but didn't lower the gun.

"Why?" He bellowed back. She peeked over the side of the consol at him, and he fired again.

"Because I looked up to you! I respected your opinion, and I always gave that more weight than anybody else's!" She yelled at him. There was silence for a moment.

"And because I knew of all the other projects that you couldn't get your hands on." He sneered. He continued shooting as he moved closer towards the consol, screaming obscenities as the gun ran out of ammo. In his rage, he threw it at her as she ran from the ruined consol, managing to hit her back as she ran, gauss rifle still in hand.

She cried out at it hit her, then slammed to the ground as Perkins himself jumped at her, making her loose her grip on the rifle. Helplessly, she watched as it slid away, under the crevice of a desk.

Then he had his hands around her neck, and they squeezed, cutting off her oxygen. With a furious growl, she twisted and writhed, somehow managing to get him off her back. Choking in air, she clenched her hands into fists and punched him across the jaw. He grunted with pain, and managed to somehow backhand her across the face.

The blow caught her off balance, and she fell, smacking her head on the ground. Dazed, she tried to pick herself up, but a kick to the ribs spun her over onto her back, and she wheezed, clearly in pain.

Perkins brought the heel of his boot down, but the Captain rolled to the side, grabbing onto the side of a table, and pulled herself up.

She launched herself at him, and punched, kicked, bit and scratched as she desperately tried to stop him. He flung her to the floor with a yell, and her eyes caught the dull gleam of the gauss rifle. She was close.

She scrambled towards it, but Perkins grabbed her leg, and pulled her backwards. Flipping onto her back, she gave him a swift kick between the legs, and his grip weakened, eyes crossing as he tried to absorb the pain. Wrenching her foot out of his grasp, She flipped over onto her belly and scrambled towards the gauss rifle again.

Her hand touched the strap, and she quickly pulled it towards her, rolling onto her back, rifle at the ready. Her eyes widened as Perkins loomed over her, eyes wild and snarling. She screamed once, and pulled the trigger as fast as she could, spraying bullets into the scientist's body.

* * *

Well, you can't really call it a cliffie... Please review!

~le freak


	19. Housekeeping

Hi all. Looking back at the last time I updated, I am embarassed to say that it has been exactly 4 months and 1 day. My explanation: In these 4 months and 1 day, I've travelled overseas, and been terribly busy with uni work. I've entered my final year, and they believe that the best thing to do is to pile on the homework. I've had some major exams, and thankfully (I think) I've passed all my subjects this semester. I've been a complete idiot and signed up for winter semester, which means I'll get a week off in September, if I'm lucky and don't have any major assignments due in that week. After November, I should be completely done, and I'll be graduating next April (because it takes that long to print out a fancy piece of paper).

Anyway! My sincerest apologies to all my lovely readers, and great thanks to all those who have reviewed: _**Sharnorasian Empire **_(please don't kill me; you won't get the rest of the story then), _**Some101, Fallen121, MooMoo-Sama****, Magicfreako, JMK2, **_The person who called me a liar, _**Angel5420**_ (I promise I will), _**Tatsu-ZZmage**_ (That was the exact image I had too!) _**Dreary-Doom-Destruction-Death**_ (thank you for kicking my butt into gear)

Please enjoy, and don't forget to review!

* * *

Marcus stopped as he entered the top room of the control tower in the spaceport. Dark eyes quickly scanned over the room, quietly cataloguing the marine and firebat next to each other, clearly dead.

He took a few more steps into the room, stopping short when the two scientists came into view. Perkins was clearly dead; he was covered in blood, and it looked like a gauss rifle had been used at close range.

The Captain was also covered in blood, but she was staring up at him, green eyes showing vague recognition at his approach. She slowly stood, trying her best to ignore the blood that had sprayed across one side of her face and across her clothes. Marcus moved to help her, concern flashing across his face. She shook her head at him, silently warning him against helping.

"The blood's not mine." She explained, eyes ghosting over to where her former second in command lay, a wild expression still plastered across his face.

"What happened?" He asked, ignoring her protests and setting her on a desk. She shuddered once, hard.

"The firebat and I came over from the factory to talk to Command." She gestured towards the two dead soldiers, eyes wide and hands trembling.

"They're brothers. Perkins killed the marine first, before we got here. Sergeant Thompson went ahead, and as soon as he got into the room, Perkins shot him, too." She sniffed, trying to keep her tears at bay.

"He tried to recruit me into something, and he turned his back on me, so I got the rifle and I missed and then he tried to kill me." She babbled, unconsciously leaning into the marine as he put an arm around her shoulders.

"You're okay now. Everything's gonna be okay." He told her, eyes ghosting over the scene once more. She shuddered again, tense under his arm.

"Relax. The storm'll be over in the morning, and then we can get back to Command. Let's go someplace else." He told her, pulling her down from the desk. She nodded and followed the marine dutifully towards the stairs.

* * *

Raynor stared at Marcus over his desk, completely at a loss for words as he absorbed the marine's report. He had seen a lot of ugly things in his life, but the way Perkins had turned on his colleagues with no remorse, and still holding a grudge from something that had happened years past... well, it was rare, but it still happened. His mind flashed to Mengsk, and he gave an involuntary shudder.

"How's the Captain?" He asked, well after the marine had stopped talking.

"In shock, but she'll recover." The marine replied, fighting an urge to run his hand through his standard-issue buzzcut.

"Was he working alone, or did he have help?" Raynor fired off towards Marcus, but the marine shook his head.

"We have no way of knowing until something else goes wrong, or we get an analyst to go through his computer." He replied simply, watching as the Commander leaned back and sighed in frustration.

"Get someone on it." He ordered, dark eyes watching sharply as the marine stiffened, saluted and executed a perfect about-face, marching out the door.

"Hopefully the Protoss are having better luck than us." Raynor muttered before turning to stare out his window at the howling storm. He winced as he heard a metal sheet viciously tore itself from a nearby building. _And over the wind, too,_ he thought, shaking his head in amazement.

* * *

Several hundred kilometres away, Artanis glanced out towards the storm. Its centre had woven a path far north of them, close towards the Terran base. He gave a mental sigh, partially distracted by the rain splattering against the plexiglass.

_Artanis,_ Zeratul rumbled, displeased by his inattention. The Praetor turned, eyes locking onto the Dark Templar.

_The storm is over the Terran base,_ he explained, turning a distracted mind back to the discussion. Zeratul tilted his head thoughtfully.

_Then all production of buildings and fighting units would have ceased,_ he mused, unconsciously caressing the hilts of his psi-sword. Artanis nodded once.

_Precisely, _he replied.

_Our plans, therefore, should be set back to accommodate for this delay,_ he continued, turning to stare out the window once more. Zeratul nodded once in agreement.

_We are unable to contact them without alerting the zerg,_ he mused, eyes flashing thoughtfully. Artanis glanced back at him.

_I am able to determine the progress of the Terran base,_ he replied, psionic voice almost smug. Zeratul stared at the young Praetor, a stony expression settling into his face.

_You bonded to a Terran. She will not endure as we endure. She is fragile, and only after she is gone will you realise your mistake,_ The Prelate snapped before stalking out of the room in a whirl of robes. Artanis stared after the Dark Templar, half-formed thoughts swirling around in his head.

Fenix started in his new shell as Zeratul stormed past, away from the turbolifts that lead to the upper levels. Cautiously, he turned his optics towards the retreating Dark Templar, confusion and slight amusement broadcasting from the tall dome of his shell, and bounced off the elder's ire. Fenix's legs twitched as he stared after the Prelate. _Artanis will know,_ the Praetor decided, turning back towards the turbolifts.

Artanis was still staring out the window of the Nexus when Fenix arrived, cautiously twitching his optics to detect any signs of anger. A few more steps into the room, and he discovered the other Praetor had not moved from his position.

_Artanis...?_ Fenix asked, uncertainty skewing his psionic voice. The other started, head whipping around to assess the room.

_Fenix,_ Artanis replied simply. The metal shell moved up next to the thoughtful Praetor, optics swivelling towards the plexiglass.

_Zeratul was angry. He made no attempt to shield it,_ the former dragoon stated, optics analysing the pattern of the rainfall. A small wave of sombre amusement swept over him, and he turned to the other, surprised.

_He believes that I should not have bonded to a Terran,_ Artanis replied, amusement evident in his tone.

_Your actions will have consequences, if the Conclave decides to interfere,_ Fenix mused.

_You might even lose your rank. Uncommon enough as it is to grant it to one so young, it is even more uncommon to return to a lower rank,_ the elder Praetor turned his optics towards the younger, and if he had facial features, would have worn a foreboding expression. Artanis stiffened, and his eyes flashed in agitation.

_Then I will return to a lower rank,_ he replied, psionic voice tense and bordering on agitation. He shook his head, forcibly calming himself.

_I cannot undo what has been done, and if there was a way, I would not take it,_ Artanis continued, managing to control his temper. Fenix lowered his body a fraction as he absorbed the other Praetor's powerful statement.

_Terrans are very volatile,_ he admitted, amusement creeping into his voice. Artanis glanced down at him, eyes flashing.

_That, my friend, they are, _He murmured in reply. The two Praetors stood in silence as the rain continued to splatter against the window, musing on the merits of Terrans.

* * *

"Why do you keep trying to get yourself killed?" Kara asked conversationally as she made a quick examination of the Captain. Claudia glanced at her, and a corner of her mouth grudgingly lifted.

"I don't. The universe just has it out for me." She deadpanned. The medic snorted, but didn't continue. Behind her, Raynor stood, watching every movement with dark eyes.

"The storm's nearly over. Think you can go back to supervising the assembly of the new units?" He asked gruffly, glancing around his office. The paperwork on the desk had been pushed aside so that the Captain could sit while the medic made an evaluation on her health. As she had protested, there were only a few minor scratches, but the emotional damage ran far deeper.

Claudia leaned around the medic, green eyes fixed on her Commander's face. She noted the lines on his face that she had not noticed before; the streaks of grey that had just started to appear around his temples, and the deep purple smudges that lined the bottom of his eyes.

_He's getting older,_ she realised with a jolt, and an unpleasant weight dropped into her stomach. _If that's what he looks like,_ she thought, _then what am I starting to look like?_ She blinked, filing that thought away for another time.

She nodded hesitantly, then more firmly.

"Yes, I can do it." She replied, vulnerability underscoring her usual strength. Kara frowned, taking half a step back to view her patient.

"I would advise low risk activities, like doing paperwork to start off with." Her hands strayed to her hips, and her lips pursed. Two sets of eyes stared at her.

"You're the expert here, Kara." The Captain replied, examining the medic. Her dark hair had frizzed, giving off a mad scientist air.

"Medic." Raynor rumbled. Kara turned around and snapped to attention.

"It is my medical opinion that the Captain requires rest and light duties until psychological analysis can be completed." She reported, dark eyes boring into the Commander's. Raynor's mouth twitched unhappily.

"Due to our circumstance, we need every able body to fight for this planet. The Zerg have infested the population, and are using this planet as a base for one of their Cerebrates. The Captain's unique talents are required to ensure that we survive this encounter. Therefore, I am ordering you to release Captain Black to her full duties." He replied formally, the full weight of his command falling on the medic.

"On one condition." Kara replied, eyes hard as she stared back at her Commander, who inclined his head for her to continue.

"She will have a medic and a marine with her at all times." The medic said, scanning his face for any sign of dissent. Raynor stared back at her for a moment before nodding in agreement.

"I think you need a promotion." He drawled, hands straying into his pockets. Kara gave a slight smile.

"I've been telling my boss that for years." She replied, relaxing her posture. Claudia leaned around the medic, a knowing smile plastered across her face.

"So have I."

* * *

Please review! (and hopefully I'll update more than once every 4 months) I'll give you home-made roast lamb (or beautifully roasted potatoes and pumpkin if you're vegetarian)

~le freak


	20. Preparation

Hi all, apologies for taking so long to update (_nearly 8 weeks)_. I have been very very busy with uni work, but now classes have been cut down to two days a week (_but with three days a week of homework or study time_), I should have time to write more. However, **Red vs Blue **have started releasing Season 9, so I might be very distracted by that. If you don't know what **Red vs Blue** is, look it up. You can thank me by reviewing.

VERY EXCITING NEWS! I've actually figured out how and when this story will end. I'm kinda sad to actually plan the ending, because this fic has taken so much of my time over the past two years (_and a few months_).

Thanks to _**Sharnorasian Empire**_ (Killing me would mean the end of this story, so you'd best not :P), _**Ellistriel **_(Thank you muchly), and _**Starcraft player**_ for reviewing. (_I feel like a fair few of you haven't reviewed the last chapter, but that's okay. I actually have direction, now_)

Please see Chapter One for the disclaimer.

* * *

The furiousness of the storm had passed, leaving the plateau soaked and battered. What had once been grass and shrubs had turned into mud pits, waiting for a potential victim to slip or fall and sink into the trap.

The SCV's had been put to work immediately, repairing strains in concrete and steel, building bridges or walkways around the mud pits and replacing missing panels on buildings. The encampment was far from perfect, resembling an almost shanty town with mismatched panels and building supplies making up the bulk of the sleeping quarters. The dozens of marines, however, were dwarfed by the sheer number of mechanial units built and programmed from the factory.

Vulture after Vulture were created, Goliath shells sitting empty in storage, all waiting for the day to rain hell on the Zerg. They had no communication from the Protoss base, but all systems were monitored for any sign of alarm from their adversaries.

"You'd think that maybe we'd have been spotted by now." Raynor muttered as he reluctantly dug into the grey mush that sat on the table in front of him.

"The meteorologists say that the storm passed over the Zerg base as well. With those winds, all of their air units would have been grounded or blown so far off course they'd have died by now." Marcus replied, fork swirling around his meal. Raynor grimaced at the taste of the mush, but decided that he had eaten worse. Much worse.

"I just want to _do_ something." The Commander declared, dropping his fork. Around the mess hall, the tense conversation stopped, and all eyes turned to their leader.

"Nothin' to see." He barked gruffly, staring the room down until one by one they returned to their meals and conversation resumed. Marcus watched the room out of the corner of his eye for a few moments before turning back to Raynor.

"They're getting jumpy. They want to get this over with. Hell, I want to get this over with." The marine commented, taking a bite of the grey mush.

"What the hell is this shit?" He said, pulling the fork away from his mouth as Raynor snorted in amusement.

"Premium A-grade protein mix. Guaranteed to get you through the day. Of course, it doesn't help that it tastes like used socks." A dryly amused voice said behind them. The two males sitting at the (_grey, always grey, dammit_) table turned.

"Kara." Marcus replied evenly. The medic smiled sweetly at him before taking a seat at the table, tray dropping onto the hard grey plastic of the tabletop.

"Med-ward have stocked up to capacity in preparation for the upcoming battle." She reported to Raynor before scooping up a forkful of the grey mush. The Commander nodded absently, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Good. Where's the Captain?" Raynor asked, pushing the protein mix around the plate. Kara sighed.

"Sleeping, finally." She replied, probing her food with the fork. Raynor raised an eyebrow.

"Finally?" He inquired, leaning back in his chair.

"Some moron assigned her quarters with the ghosts. She kept claiming they were trying to get into her head and nearly shot one, so I had to move her to the other side of the compound." The medic replied, absently pushing dark hair over her shoulder. Raynor and Marcus exchanged glances.

"She does realise that we need those guys, right?" The marine replied, shifting in his seat. Kara snorted.

"Yeah, that's why she shot the floor instead." The medic replied, dark eyes studying the marine. He shifted uncomfortably under her gaze.

"Glad she's settled in." Raynor remarked, leaning forward again.

"I just hope the Protoss figured out that we were hit by the storm and delayed the attack." He muttered, before unenthusiastically digging into his protein mix.

"They should have figured it out." Marcus replied uneasily.

"Yeah," Kara sighed.

* * *

Zeratul stood on the edge of the plateau, staring out towards the Zerg colony. His eyes flashed in irritation for the delay the Terrans had cost them, although somewhere deep inside, he knew, rationally, that it was not their fault.

He heard a very familiar metallic hiss coming up behind him, and he slowly looked around. Fenix walked up to the Dark Templar, settling in beside him. Zeratul regarded the Praetor for a moment before turning back towards the horizon.

_The trek to the Zerg will be difficult,_ Fenix began, optics turned towards the mountains in the distance.

_Then we will fly across the mountains,_ Zeratul replied, psionic voice tense. His clawed hands drew up into fists, and then slowly relaxed.

_Calm your anger, Zeratul, we will slaughter the Zerg soon enough,_ Fenix shifted uneasily at the amount of anger the Prelate was actually producing.

_Or are there other things on your mind that concern you?_ Optics darted between the view and the angry Dark Templar. Zeratul glanced down at the Praetor sharply, but relaxed as he felt only concern come from the ex-dragoon.

_This delay is troubling. I fear that the Zerg will chance upon this base or the Terrans, and our plan will have been for nothing,_ the Prelate confided, eyes flashing uneasily. Fenix shifted his shell, settling down once more.

_It is well that you have voiced your concern. Others also fear the same, however Artanis insists that the Terrans are not yet ready for the assault, _the Praetor replied, optics instinctively searching out for any movement below them. Zeratul's eyes flashed in irritation, unseen by the other.

_Has he discovered when the Terrans plan to strike?_ He asked, psionic voice once again tense. Fenix lifted himself out of the shell's crouch, and regarded Zeratul with his optics.

_The Terrans have not yet completed their expected target. They are, however, working to their fullest potential,_ The Praetor replied, observing the way the other radiated anger the topic of Artanis.

_Artanis' position is unique, and perhaps he regrets to a degree what he has done, but it not for you to deliver his judgement,_ Fenix snapped. The ex-dragoon lifted itself, and with a huff of irritation, stalked away towards the Nexus.

Zeratul watched him go, the last comment leaving a weight on his mind. The Praetor, as loathe as he was to admit it, was one of the best leaders he had seen in his long lifetime. It was clear to him that Artanis, even as brash as he was, could easily end up on the Conclave given several more decades.

It would not do to have the young Praetor demoted, or removed to another assignment that took him out of the front lines, Zeratul decided. Eyes flashing in determination, the Prelate resolved to ignore Artanis' affront to the Protoss. The Conclave would hesitate to remove the young Praetor if the Dark Templar wished he remained.

Shoulders sagging, Zeratul wearily wondered if he was getting too old.

* * *

Claudia sighed as she checked the Goliath shell for any defects before clearing it for use.

"How many more do we have to go?" She called up towards the platform from the Factory's floor.

"That was the last batch, we have no more operators for them." The reply came from the standard grey platform above her. Sighing with relief, the Captain wiped the sweat from her face before she made for the stairs of the platform. The stairs clanged as she ran up them, ragged nails gripping on the handrails.

"What else needs safety checking?" She panted, slowly walking from the top of the stairs to stand next to the foreman.

"Nothing that can't be done tomorrow, Captain. You've been working for hours down there. Go get some dinner." He replied, clapping her on the back. She shot him a quick smile before looking back over the factory, and her breath caught.

The factory was large; larger than she had ever really thought about. The grey floor had been nearly covered in vehicles, and only looking at them now could she fully appreciate the size of the factory.

The floor was covered with rows and rows of Vultures, all of them new and gleaming. She could make out a team of thirty workers fitting in the spider mines to the tightly spaced vehicles, yelling and laughing at each other as they worked. Further along, tanks had been packed in tightly, and more workers were arming them with shells for the main cannon. Goliaths stood empty along the far wall, shells gleaming dully in the fading light.

"I think we're ready." Claudia said faintly. The foreman grinned down at her.

"It's a sight, isn't it?" He asked, dark eyes sweeping along the breadth of the factory.

"I've never really noticed it before." She admitted, unable to take her eyes off the view.

"Come on, Captain. The medic would have my head if she thought I was working you too hard." The foreman teased, pulling her away from the rails of the platform. She rolled her eyes comically, but followed him anyway.

The air outside was cooling down as the last warm rays of the sun slowly disappeared behind the mountains in the far distance. She shivered as the cold wind whipped across the plateau, and nearly stumbled over the beginning of the walkway that took them across the mud pits. The factory foreman steadied her, and received a quick smile in thanks.

"We attack tomorrow, then?" He asked quietly as they made their way to the Command Centre. Claudia shrugged.

"If the Commander says we attack, we attack. We've got to figure out the best way through the mountains, though. They look pretty tough to climb." She replied, fighting another shiver from the wind.

The two entered the Command Centre and made for the mess hall. Claudia veered towards the food, wrinkling her nose as she saw what was on offer for dinner. Snagging a tray, she turned and searched the room for another techie or a friend that she could sit with. Her eyes lit up when she spied Kara sitting with the Commander and Marcus, and quickly made her way over, plopping down beside the marine.

"Hey." She said, brow wrinkling as she poked the grey mush with her fork. Marcus grunted and shifted over to make room for the techie.

"It's not going to eat you, you know." Kara replied dryly. The Captain gave her a wry smile.

"I know, but I really hate this stuff. It tastes like used socks." She replied, taking a bite. Kara snorted with laughter.

"That it does." She muttered under her breath. Raynor leaned backwards in his chair, fork dropping to his cleared plate.

"Captain." He prompted, waiting until she looked up at him, fork hanging halfway towards her mouth.

"Yes, sir?" She replied, putting down her fork. Her back straightened.

"Are we ready?" Raynor asked, dark eyes assessing the tech officer. She grinned at him.

"Yes sir, we are." She announced. The few tables around them were quiet for a moment, before breaking out into fierce whispers. Slowly, Raynor grinned back.

"Good."

* * *

Artanis stood from his chair, oblivious to the disgruntled expressions of the Conclave.

_The Terrans are ready,_ he announced, a fierce excitement building up in his thoughts. Around him, the Conclave projected their own expressions. Zeratul's eyes flashed in triumph.

_Then the attack shall begin._

* * *

_Pot Roast and delicious veggies for reviewers!_

_~le freak  
_


	21. Ghosts are acreeping

Hi all, I'm excited to announce that the last few chapters of _Halls of the Tassadar _will be coming thick and fast. This chapter was so easy to write, it pretty much wrote itself. It's been only two weeks since I updated last, so hopefully the accelerated postings will continue. I'm challenging myself to write a chapter at least every two weeks until I finish the story (which will be so _sad!_).

Many thanks to _**Some101**_ and _**Ellistriel**_ for their reviews on chapter 20, and thank you guys for your faith in me. :)

Please see Chapter One for the disclaimer, and enjoy!

* * *

The ghost had appeared out of nowhere. One moment, Raynor's office was empty of all except the notorious leader himself, and the next, the air had shimmered in front of the desk, making Raynor dive for his pistol. The ghost had fully appeared, and the mask had turned in his direction, amusement clear even from behind the mask.

Raynor had the decency to look somewhat embarrassed, and tucked the pistol out of sight.

"Doesn't hurt to be careful." He muttered, flopping back into his chair. The ghost gave a raspy chuckle, and pulled off his helmet.

"We have enough sufficiently trained ghosts to begin phase two of the attack." He reported, voice slightly raspy. Raynor nodded thoughtfully.

"Good. Send them out, and find the trails that lead up the mountains. Keep a sharp eye out for the Spore and Sunken Colonies. If possible, eliminate them. Use our little surprise, if necessary." He ordered. The ghost's mouth lifted at the corners in a gross parody of a smile.

"They won't know what hit them." The ghost promised, putting his helmet back on. He saluted, and shimmered into nothing.

After a few minutes to make sure that the ghost had actually left, Raynor leaned forward, groaned and rubbed his forehead. _Sometimes,_ he thought, _those ghosts are just trouble waiting to happen._

Marcus and Kara watched from the barracks as the group of ten ghosts stood in the main clearing in front of the Command Centre. The few SCV's that were still roaming around, repairing buildings and safe passageways gave them a wide berth, and the soldiers that weren't training watched them uneasily.

"What's going on?" A voice came from behind the pair. Both Kara and Marcus turned, setting eyes on the Captain.

"Ghosts are about to initiate phase two." Marcus replied, moving so that Claudia could see out of the window. Her lips compressed into a tight line, but stepped forward to see anyway.

At that moment, a ghost looked up towards them, and held their gaze. Claudia shivered and moved backwards, out of sight, and Kara glared at the ghost, flipping him the bird. The gesture was lost as the roar of the transport ships stole the ghost's attention.

The transport ship hovered over the ghosts, and pulled up several of them before swerving off east, towards the mountains and into the morning sun. The next transport ship did the same, and the next two, and the next after that took the last couple. The metal hulls of the ships gleamed dully in the morning light as they sped away. Kara frowned.

"I thought those type of transports could take five each." She commented, eyeing the five ships as they sank to only a few meters above the scrubland that was well below the plateau. Claudia looked around the marine in confusion.

"They do." As soon as she saw the five ships, she nodded in confirmation.

"Oh. They're using plan 23." Kara whipped her head around and stared at the techie.

"And what is plan 23?" She asked, voice calm. Claudia sighed, rubbing her forehead.

"Only four people know about plan 23, and that's the way it has to stay." The Captain paused, eyeing the two of them speculatively.

"At least until it succeeds... or fails." She folded her arms and looked out the window towards the rapidly disappearing transport ships.

"And when will that be?" Marcus asked, glancing between the two women.

"We'll know when they send us a message." The Captain replied, a final tone in her voice. Kara glanced at Marcus, and the marine could have sworn that a devious light had been gleaming in her eyes.

"Not even for tea?" The medic asked slyly, pulling a small drawstring bag out of one of her many pockets. Claudia stared at the tea, and felt her will crumbling. It had been too long since she had tasted the stuff, and by the gods it was delicious. She sighed, and took a quick glance along the hallway.

"You'll need to know soon anyway. Follow me." She grumbled, taking off. The marine and medic glanced at each other and hurried after her.

They headed down what looked like a little-used corridor, as several ammo boxes were stacked up along the walls. The Captain ducked into a doorway, and started fiddling with a device in the middle of the room.

Marcus and Kara stepped into the room, and looked around, confusion and disbelief marring their features. The room looked like a miniature junkyard, with scrap metal parts lying piled up on the floor and a couple of utilitarian benches that sat in the far corners of the room. Marcus started as he recognised marine armour that looked like it had been hit by something corrosive. Claudia glanced at them.

"Shut the door." She ordered, still fiddling with the device. Kara was surprised to find an old-style door, one of those that swung open and shut. Gingerly, she shut the door, and turned around.

"Doll, what's going on?" She asked, beginning to feel agitated. Claudia glanced up at her.

"Do either of you have anything electronic on you?" She asked, nodding in satisfaction when they shook their heads.

Stepping back, she flipped a switch on the device. A strange pulse hit them, almost tangible in the air.

"What the hell was that!" Marcus exclaimed, quickly checking that nothing had been damaged.

"That was an EM pulse. It would knock out any electronic listening device, and pretty much anything else electronic." She paused and turned to look at Marcus.

"Including your armour." His eyes widened at that, and was suddenly glad that they were on the same side.

"That explains the door." He muttered, looking around the room once more.

Kara eyed the room, a questioning expression crossing her face.

"What's going on? Why have you brought us here?" She asked suspiciously. The Captain looked at both of them, and started laughing.

"I'm not going to pull out a gun and shoot you, so relax. Pull up a bench." She gestured towards one of the benches half hidden under a pile of scrap metal. Marcus gave it a dubious glance before pulling it out from the scrap metal. He brushed the small bits of metal off the surface, and Kara sat down gingerly.

Claudia sprawled herself on the floor, drawing her knees up to her chest. Looking up at her friends, she grinned impishly.

"What do you guys know about the Confederacy ghost program?"

* * *

Zeratul stood with his back to the room at large within the Nexus, flashing eyes staring out the window towards the edge of the plateau.

_The Terrans would have sent out their scouts by now,_ Fenix shifted his shell, clearly uneasy with the psionic tension pulsing in the air. The Judicator's eyes flashed, and he paced out the length of the room.

_**If **__they kept their bond,_ he rumbled, his irritation at having to involve the Terrans in their plans clear to all in the room.

_They will keep their bond,_ Fenix declared, shifting again. Artanis glanced at him, grateful for the support.

_Are the Arbiters ready?_ Zeratul asked, eyes catching on a group of zealots practicing for battle.

_They are ready. The Dark Templar and the observers await only your command, _Artanis replied, moving to stand next to the Prelate. Zeratul nodded, eyes still on the zealots near the edge of the plateau. Artanis stared out of the window, curious as to what had held the Prelate's attention. His eyes caught on the zealots and his face pinched into a Protoss smile.

_They hunger for vengeance, _he explained, watching as the foot soldiers as their psionic blades arced gracefully in the air, the blue light casting a glow over them as strong as the morning sun.

_They will gain it, _Zeratul replied, before tearing his gaze away to focus on the others in the room.

_Send our scouts, and may Adun be with them,_ he ordered, relishing the tense excitement the others radiated.

One Dark Templar strode from the room, his psionic energy causing the edges of his cloak to ripple.

Within minutes, two shuttles flew from the plateau, the arbiters and observers flying with them.

_Now we can only wait for confirmation, _Zeratul observed, watching the ships dive close to the scrub well below the plateau.

* * *

Several hours later, two ghosts watched as a Protoss shuttle expelled two Dark Templar. Concentrating, one of the ghosts felt for the presence of the Protoss, and after connecting briefly with a mind much stronger than his own, he gave up their position. The ghosts waited patiently, wordlessly, as the Dark Templar made their way up the slope to them.

Another half an hour had passed before they came into the tiny clearing the ghosts had been waiting in. Glancing up, one of the ghosts could only just make out the shape of the observer and arbiter hovering above them.

"Let's go." The ghost said, and turned from his position to begin the slow trek up the side of the mountain. The others followed, the observer floating above them directly. One of the Protoss pulled a small screen out of his robes, and handed it to one of the ghosts.

_The Observer will inform us of any Zerg in our vicinity,_ he explained, as the ghost examined the screen, noting the four light blue dots in the centre of the dark blue screen.

"Good. I've heard that the observers can detect a greater distance than the Spore and Sunken Colonies?" He rasped, filters on his mask disguising his voice.

_Correct, _the Dark Templar replied succinctly.

_We will have an advantage of only ten meters,_ the other Dark Templar warned, reaching for the screen.

_I will watch out for potential dangers,_ he continued, gently taking the device from the ghost.

"Let's head out." The ghost whispered, a smile beginning to form behind his mask.

* * *

It was nearly evening when the screen in the Dark Templars hand began to glow red, indicating the Zerg. Creeping into a small hollow, the four warriors settled down to watch the Spore Colony as it twitched in the breeze, and a foul stench emitted from the hulking structure.

The two ghosts used the optics lens on their helmets to zoom in on the protective building, then on the ground around it.

"Do you see any hidden ground units?" One ghost asked, still trying to see through the foliage around the organic structure that stood as close to the top of the mountain as was possible.

_The observer has not picked up any additional Zerg, building or not, _the Dark Templar replied, checking the screen once more. The second ghost smirked.

"Time for plan 23." He said gleefully. The other ghost nodded, and brought out what looked like an ancient transmitter, complete with metre-long antenna. The Dark Templar looked at each other, psi energy slightly agitated.

_What is plan 23?_ one of the Protoss demanded, clawed hands coming slightly forward. The ghosts smirked at each other.

"Just sit back and watch the show." The first ghost replied, pushing a button on the transmitter.

"Let's kill some Zerg."

* * *

Daffodils for a belated Daffodil day (If you don't know what Daffodil day is, it's a day that is devoted to cancer awareness and research so that we can strive to find a way of curing one of the most debilitating diseases in the world), and remember that reviews are like crack, and this poor authoress is an addict.

~le freak


	22. Plan 23 revealed

Holy crap, an update! Good news and bad news: There's only five chapters left that I've planned out. Interesting/funny news: I planned the entire invasion while sitting on a train to uni, staring at the blue floor. While staring at that floor, I constructed the map, where the bases were, how tall and extensive the mountains were, the trails that the scout teams would take, and how they would invade the Zerg base. (People kept walking through my map. It felt like they were crushing my battlefield) I felt quite accomplished after doing all of that.

Many thanks to my reviewers _**BlakDawn**_ (I promise they will be), _**Some101**_ (*snorts* *shudders in pleasure* (not that type of pleasure! Get your mind out of the gutter!) Cheers, mate), _**Ellistriel**_ (that chapter was actually longer than some others I've written...)

Please see Chapter One for the disclaimer. Enjoy!

* * *

The two Dark Templar tensed as several red dots appeared on the screen, closing fast on their position. They knew, theoretically, that they were invisible to the Zerg units that were rushing towards them, but their psi blades appeared instantly as they turned in their anger to the ghosts.

_A betrayal,_ one of the Dark Templar thundered, raising his psi blades, ready to slice the two ghosts to pieces.

"_Not_ a betrayal. This was part of the plan. The Commander told your people, and you were supposed to know." One of the ghosts explained, agitatedly talking with his hands and the collective memories that both of the ghosts shared. The two Protoss' scanned through their recent memories, critically observing everything they could find on the issue, and it was only after a few minutes of scrolling through the same memories that they relaxed slightly.

The second Dark Templar glanced at the screen, noting the red dots were almost upon them. Wordlessly, he showed the others the screen and the rapidly advancing red dots.

The ghosts looked at each other before shimmering into nothing. Half a minute later, eight zerglings rushed past them, each marked in a royal blue. The group of four watched intently as the zerglings rushed towards the Spore Colony, only to be confronted by three other zerglings, these ones marked in a burnt orange that complemented the blood-red eyes and stained yellow teeth that could rip flesh from bones in a second.

The skirmish raged between the zerglings, the royal blue quickly overcoming the burnt orange. The first burnt orange one fell forward, a royal blue lunging at its back legs, and even from their position, the group of four heard the rip and tear of teeth peeling away muscle and hide from the other zergling. It snarled weakly at its attackers, but it had clearly been beaten and was slowly dying. Another zerglings lay on the ground, dark blue in colour. Its throat had been torn apart, and its blood-red eyes were clouded and dull, clearly dead.

The other two had been cut down in much the same way, and the few that weren't busy tearing the downed zerglings apart approached the Spore Colony in an excited frenzy, and before long the structure was bleeding, thick oozing dark red blood spurted from the walls and running down to soak into the ground.

The zerglings began to run themselves down, as they continued to tear and bite into the Spore colony. A few minutes later, the structure folded in on itself, and the Creep around it began to decay at an accelerated rate. The zerglings continued to feed, dodging out of the way of the falling organic structure which had already began to decay, grey globs of cellulose and gelatine falling onto the creep.

The ghosts began to slink forward, and uneasily, the Dark Templar followed suit.

"Quickly, the main colony will send out troops to figure out what happened here." One of the ghosts whispered under the cover of his invisibility. The group picked up pace towards the royal blue zerglings, who continued to prowl around, looking for something to eat.

Before long, the group had covered the few hundred meters to what remained of the Spore Colony, and the ghosts stepped out amongst the zerglings, unafraid. They turned and looked at the Dark Templar, who were both standing at the edge of the clearing, glancing around with what was clearly disgust and unease, psi blades still active and ready to begin the intricate dance they called fighting.

_They cannot see us, yet they should feel our presence,_ one of the Dark Templar remarked, although it was clearly a statement that required an answer by the ghosts. The Protoss shifted on their feet, unmistakably into a battle-ready position. The ghosts glanced at each other, clearly alarmed.

The first ghost sighed, took a step forward, spread out his arms, and released his invisibility.

* * *

Kara stared at Claudia, her face expressing part fascination, part horror and part disgust.

"How the _hell_ did they manage that?" She exclaimed, leaning forward. Claudia grinned.

"It was on a _very_ out of the way colony, and they were using ghost technology. I didn't even know about it when the Confederacy picked me up and I had been working for a few years on the ghost project. The Raiders only took over the facility recently, and they had to ask my advice on some of the tech used to keep the mind control active. Of course, it's only really useful for creatures like the Zerg, who need their collective consciousness to function properly." The Captain explained. Marcus exhaled slowly.

"And the only people who knew about this are?" He asked, fighting the urge to hit his head against the wall in frustration.

"Classified. The only people who are in the know are the only people who are in the know. And you guys." She replied, absently picking up a bit of scrap metal and fiddling with it. He sighed, and glanced at Kara. She rolled her eyes back at him before turning her attention to the brunette on the floor.

"So why tell us this? Why now?" She asked, propping her elbows onto her knees and cupping her face with both hands. The Captain hesitated, eyes moving towards the doorway.

"You'd have found out soon enough anyway." She replied, scrambling to her feet as silently as she could. With a quick gesture to the others, she slunk to the door and threw it open. She froze, and her eyes refocused on the barrel of a handgun an inch away from her nose. Claudia swallowed, and backed into the room, the gun following her every step.

* * *

The zerglings completely had ignored him. Not a single pair of eternally hungry blood red eyes had swung in the ghost's direction.

_What is this trickery? _One of the Dark Templar demanded as he strode cautiously into the clearing, psi blades at the ready.

"This is the success of using plan 23. The Zerg will never know that we orchestrated this, and they'll keep fighting amongst each other, and make eradicating them that much easier." The ghost explained, raspy voice sounding gleeful.

One of the Dark Templar checked the screen.

_We must move if we are to avoid discovery,_ he cautioned. The ghost nodded, and turned towards the other side of the mountain. Taking a quick glance at the almost dark sky, he led the group forward into the darkness of the forest in front of them, zerglings trotting behind.

Several hundred kilometres away, another team had slipped over the mountain, observer and arbiter barely clearing the tops of the trees in their attempt to keep as low as possible to avoid any detection by the Zerg.

The leader of this team was quite clearly the ghost that had designated himself rear-guard. The two Protoss led the group, attempting to find a stable way through the snarl of the undergrowth in amongst the trees.

At the rear, the ghost scanned behind them, sensing the snarl of uniformed thinking behind them. A twisted smile slowly appeared on the scarred face of the ghost as he silently followed the others, moving much faster than they were coming up the mountain. He knew their plan revolved around speed, and all would be lost if they were discovered.

A chill ran through him as he thought about the massive attack ahead of them, against an enemy that had not only the advantage of the lay of the land, but also had the advantage of sheer numbers over the joint forces.

Using the magnifier from the optics built into the helmet, he scouted out an area which they could use to set up base through a tiny gap through the trees that allowed him a wide view of the area. He squinted in the darkness, the rising quarter-moon giving very little light. A glint of _something_ caught his eye, and he stopped, zooming in. After a few moments, he mentally swore loudly, catching the attention of the other members of his group.

They stopped and turned, silently waiting for an image. Concentrating, the ghost slowly showed them what he had seen, and the diminishing tension suddenly skyrocketed.

"They built on a hill?" The other ghost whispered, moving silently to see the sight for himself. The scarred ghost nodded, suddenly weary.

"We'll have an uphill battle. I hope that we've got some secret weapons up our sleeves." He replied quietly. The Dark Templar gave each other a significant glance before turning back to the ghosts.

_We continue in our quest. Have you discovered a suitable location for a small base?_ One of the Dark Templar asked, the silver braided psionic endings from his head clinking together softly as he turned towards the plains and the Zerg colony.

"I have, but I doubt we can get there before daybreak." The scarred ghost replied, judging the distance to their destination. The Protoss looked at each other again.

_Then we will find an appropriate place to rest during the day. To minimise the risk, we should travel only during the darkest hours,_ the second Dark Templar decided. The ghosts looked at each other and nodded.

"Where are we going to store the ships? They'd detect them if they stayed with us." The second ghost asked, glancing up at the observer not five meters above his head.

_The Arbiter will go on to our site and begin warping in probes and one of your SCV's. The observer will stay with us, for our need is greater,_ The silver-braided Dark Templar replied, glancing up at the Arbiter. It flew off, sailing close to the tops of the trees, and soon disappeared into the darkness.

* * *

Daybreak had come quickly, and only two of the five groups had made it to their destination. The two that had made it, however, was surrounded by a hotbed of activity. Probes flew frantically around, warping in the essential defensive buildings. The pylons had been guarded as soon as the warp rift had opened, and the photon cannons had begun warping as soon as the first pylon had completely appeared.

The SCV driver stood to the side of the activity, close to the safety of the trees. His unease was quite clearly broadcasted, even as he lit up a cigarette and took comfort in the swirls of grey smoke that came from the lit end.

A ghost had come silently from the edge of the forest, and slumped down next to the specialist builder. The ghost stared out at the Protoss for a few minutes before pulling his helmet off, to the shock of the only other Terran in sight. The ghost shook out his shoulder-length dark hair, and blinked a few times in the sunlight before squinting towards the other man.

"Got another cig?" He asked, voice somewhat raspy. The ghost frowned, and reached for his water canteen, and took a swig. The other's hands started shaking as he pulled the squashed package from his overall pocket, and handed the cigarette over. The corner of the ghost's mouth twitched upwards.

"Relax, will you? I'm Dawson." The ghost told the other man, who gave him a shaky grin.

"Nox." The SCV driver replied, finally casting his eyes back to the busy group.

"D'you think you'll attack soon?" He asked, taking a longer than usual drag at the cigarette. Dawson lit up, and leaned backwards, surveying the small cluster of buildings.

"I don't think that everyone's in place yet. Might be a few days, if we're not discovered before that." He replied, eyes narrowing. Nox nodded uneasily, and hunched forward, as if trying to make himself invisible. _Not that it'll do any good,_ he thought miserably, and completely missed the sideways glance the ghost gave him.

* * *

The main communications officer sat in his chair, completely bored. Spinning around to survey the room, he wondered for the tenth time why Raynor had wanted him at his desk. They were on a communications blackout, at least for another 48 hours.

He sighed, and turned back to the computer that he was supposed to be monitoring. Lazily, his eyes scanned it, and almost missed the faint wave that swept across the screen. Swearing colourfully, he jammed his headset on, and tried to tune the frequency. A click, and the recorder was on, and he was still searching for the right wavelength. _Where the hell is it!_ He thought angrily.

Finally, the words became clear, and his heart nearly skipped a beat in excitement. After a moment, after the computer identified the voices speaking, his eyes filled with fear, and he stared at the screen, mute.

The voices finally signed off, and silence filled his ears, and yet he still sat there for another few minutes, trying to collect coherent thoughts. Finally, he stopped the recording and pulled off his headset, standing up shakily.

He turned to one of the requisite soldiers that was standing by the door, clearly bored out of his mind, if the way he was playing with his beard was any indication.

"Hey, you. Soldier." The communications officer called out to him, ignoring the look he received. He was a communications expert, not a human resource manager. The soldier trudged over, a dark expression coming over his face.

"What do you want?" He asked rudely, pushing his sunglasses further up his nose.

"Get Raynor. He needs to hear this, now." The communications officer ordered before going back to the computer, saving the file in triplicate. The soldier huffed, but turned and exited the room. The communications officer sat back in his chair, a worried expression coming over his face. _God help us,_ he thought, loosening his shirt around the neck.

* * *

Homemade chicken and veg (or just veg for you vegetarians) pie and mashed potato for reviewers.

~le freak


End file.
